Ruuysei: Novelization
by iguessso12
Summary: Novelization of Megaman Starforce One . I use the Japanese names and the characters are a few years older. Reboot: I'm going to be tweaking the storyline a bit to give it character. Subaru has a lot to keep him busy: piggybacking alien, intense battles, illogical schoolgirls, annoying friends, pop artists, far-too-intelligent scientists, and an attack on planet earth!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Shirogane Luna:

Luna strode proudly through the silent school hallways, her footsteps making crisp clicks on the gleaming tiles. Although school didn't start for another hour, she was always early. As the sophomore class student council representative she needed to be a good example to the hoodlums that made up her "peers." Mornings were the perfect chance to get a head start on the day, or visit with the teachers. She was going to show them all how _she_ was the perfect student.

There was no need to mention her extra curriculars either: student council, tutoring, piano (giving and taking lessons), drama, photography club, community service, and she was even captain of the intramurals sports team. She could go on, but Luna wasn't one to brag. She wanted to do great things (especially from a political standpoint); she really wanted to change the world. And she would start right here with this sorry excuse for a school, Kodoma High.

She stopped as she heard the faint echo of running feet in the adjoining hallway. Putting on her most superior and unsatisfied face that she could manage, she turned to see her two friends run up to her, panting with the exertion of running to school.

"Luna-chan!" the smaller one managed between gasps, "We're very sorry that we're late. We missed the tram because Gonta here wouldn't miss breakfast for the world!"

"Breakfast is a very important meal of the day, Kizamaro. And you wouldn't like me very much if I missed it because of you!"

Luna rolled her eyes as the two began to squabble. Unfortunately, Kizamaro was hopelessly outmatched. He stood barely five feet tall, with thick, framed glasses and bushy brown hair that looked like he had tried to flatten it with a comb that morning, but failed. His woeful shortness only added to the effect of his overall nerdiness, the rest was his complete lack of style. His green shorts exposed his knobby knees as they were firmly pulled up above his waist and fastened with a belt, obvious because his shirt was snugly tucked into his shorts (the look was completed with a loose hanging tie). Really, the kid needed to grow up a bit; this was 10th grade after all.

Gonta on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He had always been a chunky boy, but since puberty hit, he was a veritable beast. He towered at six feet tall, his black hair poked out at odd angles from underneath his leather cap (why he wore it, she didn't know). His yellow tee-shirt was sleeveless, exposing rather large arms, though not _all _muscle, reinforced by the fact that he had an undying love for food. Baggy brown shorts and worn tennis shoes completed the "rough-tough" look that he prided so much, although Luna just thought it looked messy.

The three of them, standing in the hallway, would probably look like the oddest group to any general passerbyer. A beast boy, a nerdy kid, and a prim, trim girl (with the most beautiful long, blonde curls) would definitely attract attention, though most people in this school had gotten used to it. As difficult as it may be to believe, these boys had been her friends since she first transferred to Kodoma High from a private school for her freshman year. Now, they flanked her wherever she went.

"It's alright today boys," she said to calm the situation, "Since it is the first day back from winter break there isn't much to catch up on. I'll excuse your tardiness this time, but if it happens again…" she let the treat hang in the air, smirking with satisfaction as the two boys gulped.

"Good, I'm glad we got that cleared up. Now come on, we've got a lot to do today." With that, Luna spun on her heel and headed to their first class, presuming she was prepared for anything that would come towards her that day.

Ikuta sensei, their science teacher, never lacked enthusiasm when it came to learning. With this in mind, Luna wasn't unduly surprised when he announced they would be doing a project for the next few weeks. They had recently been studying modern developments in technology that greatly affected society, so it was a no-brainer that the project was over wave-technology. Luna had already established that her group would be Kizamaro and Gonta (though in this case Kizamaro would be of more use, as Gonta had far more brawn than brains). Now, as the class split into groups to discuss their project, all they had to do was wait for Ikuta-san to give them their assignment.

Luna waited patiently as he visited each of the groups, steadily getting closer to Luna's pose.

"I wonder what we'll get," Kizamaro said with anticipation, "I love wave-technology. It really is the whole future to our society, just look at the ways it's affected our communications." He lifted up his arm, indicating the computer on it, famously known as a _transer_. The boxlike device didn't look very impressive on the outside, but everyone knew of all of its applications: computer, communications, constant internet access, planner, info storage, and so much more. Scientists were still discovering new uses for the Electromagnetic Waves gathered from various sources, outer space being the most primary. And as enthused as Luna was about the frontier of science, she just wished they would make a more streamlined version first. Wearing a giant box on your arm wasn't very fashionable, much less attractive.

Ikuta-san finally moved to their group, smiling apologetically for leaving them for last. He looked down at his sheet before exclaiming, "Ah, last but not least. This is a good topic Shirogane-chan: R&D. Do you think you can handle explaining to the class about the ways wave-research is done and how it's applied to new inventions?" he winked, knowing that Luna was fully capable of suck a task.

"Of course," she announced, Kizamaro was practically bouncing on his toes, "Do you have any suggestions for sources though?"

Ikuta-san pursed his lips in thought, "Well, you should definitely go to AMAKEN labs, they have a great presentation of their studies, especially space research, and the scientists there are always willing to talk to students."

"Anything else?" Luna pressed.

"Well," his eyes lit up as a sudden realization hit him, "You could probably go talk to Hoshikawa Subaru. He's your age and he used to do tons of wave-studies with his da…" Ikuta suddenly trailed off, then said in a quieter tone, "On second thought, perhaps you shouldn't speak with Hoshikawa-san."

When Ikuta-san remained quiet for a few seconds, Luna couldn't control her curiosity, "And why shouldn't we speak to this "Hoshikawa" guy?"

Ikuta stood up, but he wouldn't meet Luna's gaze, "AMAKEN, is a good source. You'll get plenty of information if you go there. I know I can count on you to do a good job Sirogane-chan. Good luck!"

And without further ado, Ikuta sensei went back to his desk. Luna watched as he sat down heavily, the same sad look in his eye that had appeared when her first mentioned Hoshikawa Subaru.

It was later that day at lunch when the subject of the project finally came up again, and with it, the mysterious "Subaru-san." Luna, Gonta, and Kizamaro sat at their own table, undisturbed by any of the other students. This was one of the perks of having a giant, ham-fisted flunkie; people tend to steer clear, especially when he's eating.

"I know I've heard that name before!" Kizamaro agonized, "It sounds _so_ familiar."

"Did you read it in a book? Or maybe somewhere online?" Luna said, trying to help him. She really wanted to know why Ikuta had been all secretive and ignored any of her further questions on the subject, "I mean, if Ikuta sensei wanted to recommend him as a source, then that would make sense."

"No," Kizamaro was gritting his teeth while gripping his head between his hands, "I've definitely heard it somewhere, but it was when I was younger. This is so frustrating, I wish I could remember."

As usual, Gonta could shed no intelligent light on the subject. That, and it was dangerous to try and interrupt him while he was eating.

Luna sighed, put out. The whole situation was strange. Ikuta wouldn't talk and Kizamaro could recognize the name from when he was a kid.

"Well, I want you to find out by the end of the day, Kizamaro," Luna commanded, "We must know, and not necessarily for the project, but for our sanity."

"Don't worry Luna-chan. I _will_ find out."

Luna smiled; _this _was one of the perks of having a nerd for a flunkie: information.

The end of the school day couldn't come fast enough. Luna could barely stay focused on the sheet music in band class; she lost her place on multiple occasions, and completely missed her solo once. And even though she had been looking forward to it all year, she barely listened to the announcement about student elections that would take place soon. The only thing on her mind was finding Kizamaro and Gonta the moment the bell rang.

When the ding-dong finally sounded Luna was down the hall before the final note echoed off the walls. She found her friends exiting the boy's locker room, hot and sweaty from gym class. Without even giving them a chance to catch their breath she dragged them into the elevator, jabbing the button for the roof-top courtyard. From the roof students were able to observe the entire campus of Kodoma High. Very little expense had been spared on the grounds. The landscape was neat, and the school itself was immaculate. But what impressed most people was the sheer bulk of amenities the school could boast of: indoor pool, tennis courts, observatory, planetarium, and much more. They crossed the roof and deposited their book bags on a picnic table and plopped down beside them, conference style (the boys sitting side-by-side, opposite of Luna). She folded her hands and leaned in close, reading Kizamaro's expression, hoping for a triumphant one.

She was not disappointed.

"So what did you find out?" Luna asked breathlessly.

"I knew I had heard it before," Kizamaro almost squealed, "How could I be so stupid, not noticing it before? And I can't believe I forgot, it wasn't even that long ago-"

Kizamaro's excited chattering was cut off by a sharp slap on the back of his head, delivered courtesy of Gonta.

"Shuddup!" He commanded, "Luna-chan wants to know now!"

"Thanks you Gonta," Luna said, glad Gonta was showing some skills of observation (and initiative for that matter), "Do enlighten me Kizamaro. And start at square one."

Kizamaro cleared his throat before beginning: "Hoshikawa Subaru, age 15, extended attendee of Kodoma High. He was born here in Echo Ridge to Daigo and Akane Hoshikawa (1378 W. Hope St.)."

"'Extended attendee'?" Luna cut in, "What is that supposed to mean."

"He completes the same school work as us, but at home, under the Aide Program. I had to ask around at the office for that little tidbit." Kizamaro blushed proudly at his sleuthing skills.

"But why?" Luna asked, puzzled.

"That's the catch," Kizamaro said, with less enthusiasm, "He hasn't come to school since his dad died three years ago. Most people say he never got over the shock of losing his father. That's why Ikuta sensei didn't want us to go to him for the project (even if he _can _help us, which I highly doubt)"

"Ah, I see." Luna murmured, "What happened?"

"To his father?" Kizamaro asked. Luna nodded, so he continued, "After I found out that his father had died three years ago, I remembered where I had heard the name before. There was a big deal about it on TV for a while. So I searched it on the internet to get all the details. Subaru's dad was a famous scientist. He actually discovered the wave-source in space that is now the biggest source of energy for the entire planet, _and_ he invented the first transer. A few years after that he started a satellite project to manage the EM waves that were collected by earth. He was on the first station when they finally got clearance to start building, but something went wrong. The station blew up, and broke into pieces that scattered from the force of the explosion. For a while people searched for survivors, because the station was so durable it hadn't been totally obliterated by the blast, but not even a body was found. By the end of the disaster, people were saying that Hoshikawa Diago was a bit off-his-rocker. They think he made a mistake on the design of the station, and lead his entire crew to their deaths. Some even say that he had begun to claim that there were invisible aliens, and that our new power source was a planet made entirely out of 'radio waves.' The account got quite fantastic towards the end."

As Kizamaro's story trailed off, Luna tried to take it all in. She remembered hearing about the space station accident now too. What had it been called? Space Station Peace, yes that was it. All her questions were answered, so why did she feel like there was more to this revelation?

"What should we do?" she asked quietly, without thinking, which was totally unlike her.

"'What should we do?'" Kizamaro reiterated, "What can we do? This happened years ago Luna, it can't be fixed. Over a hundred people lost their lives. Subaru-kun lost his dad. They've moved on, even if we are just finding this out now. There is nothing _to_ do."

Luna felt lost. Something felt so wrong.

"Then why is Hoshikawa-kun not here, at school, studying like a normal kid? Like the rest of us?"

"My sources seem to think that _he_ never got over it. The media blamed his father; they called him crazy. Maybe he feels like he can't be seen in public." Kizamaro shrugged, "But what has that got to do with us?"

Suddenly a brilliant plan struck Luna like a bolt of lightning. The pieces fell into place, like her life was realigning itself, making everything perfect. She grinned widely, and both Kizamaro and Gonta gave her a surprised look.

"What?" they both demanded at the same time.

"We now have two missions," Luna said dramatically, "But they are one in the same. You do recall that student elections will be taking place soon? And I will be running for student body president for the upcoming school year. That said, we need to do something momentous; something that will make a good impression on all of the students in Kodoma High."

"So what are we gonna do?" Gonta asked, finally following their conversation again.

"First, we will campaign for my position as future student body president. And, to up my already shining popularity…" she let her sentence dangle, waiting for a prompt.

"What will we do?" Kizamaro asked. His voice was slightly tinged with sarcasm, aware that Luna had bated that response.

"… and we will persuade Hoshikawa Subaru to come to school."

Hoshikawa Subaru:

Subaru blinked hard, trying to rid the sleep from his eyes as the first rays of sunlight peeked through the skylights that made up half the ceiling of his bedroom. Though this was convenient for stargazing at night, the morning sun often frustrated his attempts to sleep in. Sighing, he threw off his blankets and dragged himself down the steps that lead to his bed. Right now, he needed a really good wake up call. Coffee would be nice.

He could already hear his mom in the kitchen downstairs, so he quickened his morning routine, realizing he had lounged in bed longer than he thought. After washing his face and brushing his teeth he threw on his standard outfit: his red and white jacket, fingerless gloves, and navy blue jean shorts. As he made his way down the steps he habitually slipped on his star-pendant necklace and set his odd green glasses atop his head. Call him girly, but both were sentimentally significant to him; he never went anywhere without them. They were important reminders of his father.

He plodded into the kitchen, greeted by his mom's cheery smile. Hoshikawa Akane still appeared young, despite the fact that she was just one year shy of 40. Her apron was tied over a purple blouse and black yoga pants, and brown hair was twisted up into a bun. Soft, large brown eyes that matched Subaru's exactly, studied him as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"Are you going to figure out that food processor for me Su?" she asked slyly, indicating the offending appliance with a spoon she had been using.

Subaru rolled his eyes at her, but got up anyway to operate the food processor (a machine that actually materialized certain types of food from EM waves). Akane sometimes feigned ignorance on how to use the "new-fangled wave-based" machines in the kitchen, but Subaru suspected it was a ruse to get him downstairs every morning to help her with breakfast. Either, she purely enjoyed having him around, or she was concerned that if he started to sleep in every day, he'd never get his school work done. Despite her worries, breakfast with mom was not something Subaru considered optional. She prided herself on her cooking, and Subaru wasn't one to disagree.

But Subaru wasn't just there for the food. Since the disaster of _SS Peace_ Subaru's only important family member he had left was his mother. He never wanted to take a moment with her for granted. Call him sappy, but he had never really had many friends. His family meant the world to him, and three years ago half of his world collapsed: his dad's half.

The pain from that day was still as raw as ever; it had been there so long, he doubted it would ever heal. To be honest, he hadn't tried very much. Most people weren't as close to their parents as he was. His dad had been so much more than a father to him: a mentor, a teacher, and a friend. When people told him to move on, they didn't realize they were asking for the impossible.

He felt a gentle hand land on his head that snapped him out of his reverie. Akane teased his spiky brown hair, despondently saying, "Did you do anything with this mess this morning?"

He chuckled as she sat down opposite of him, the breakfast set while he had been distracted by his dark thoughts.

"No, but it's not like I'm going out somewhere," he said, and then corrected himself, "at least not yet. I may go to AMAKEN later."

Ironically, with that statement, the doorbell chimed softly, interrupting Akane's first bite.

"I'll get it," Subaru said quickly, allowing Akane some reprieve to finish chewing before she would supposedly have to greet whoever was at the door. He passed out of the kitchen to the foyer in order to open the front door after a second, insistent ringing.

"Hoshikawa residence," he said politely as he opened the door.

"Hoshikawa Subaru-san?" came the direct question.

"Yes," he answered somewhat hesitantly, not sure what merited such formalities.

The girl before him was the most singular he had ever seen (not that he had ever paid attention to very many). Her flawless suit dress oddly made her look like she belonged behind a podium, speaking to a large crowd, but the leggings underneath and smart flats were a little more "rouge-teenager." Her olive green eyes analyzed him carefully, inspecting him for who knows what. She had two, ostentatious, corkscrew curls that bounced with every movement she made. He was honestly clueless as to why she was here, looking for _him_ no less.

"I am Shirogane Luna, class representative of Kodoma High's sophomore class. _Your_ tenth grade class, therefore I am _your_ class representative." She offered her hand as if to seal the official greeting.

Subaru desperately restrained himself from saying something sarcastic. She had obviously not been assuming her target was very intelligent, observing from the empathetic reiteration.

With some difficulty he resisted the urge to roll his eyes and asked, "What can I do for you?" while shaking her hand and very dearly hoping there was nothing he could do for her.

When she shook his hand she didn't let go, but continued her obviously planned speech, "As representative of the sophomore class, the sophomore class in turn represents me. By default, it affects my reputation if all students of the tenth grade are not in steady attendance."

"But I study the materials under the Aide Program." Subaru interjected, "I'm practically homeschooled."

"But you are not homeschooled Hoshikawa-kun," Luna corrected, "The Aide Program was meant to be a temporary measure. It is most commonly used for kids who are severely sick, and have a doctor's notice to show for it. Are you ill Hoshikawa-kun?"

"No," he said shortly, trying to retrieve his hand from Luna's grasp and trying not to glare at her smug face. Just then Akane came to see what commotion had been holding Subaru captive at the door, literally. (Mom, meet Shirogane "Stubborn" Luna-chan. She's a wonderful and pushy person).

"What is going on?" Akane asked, more puzzled than worried that a strange girl had a vice-like hold on her son.

"Ah, you must be Hoshikawa Akane-san. A pleasure to meet you ma'am," Luna bowed respectfully, all charm, "I intend to take your son with me to school today. If I recall correctly, some time has passed since he's been. I'm sure it will be a good _learning _experience."

Akane thought on that awhile. It was true she wanted Subaru to go to school, but she didn't want to force him. But, in this case, she wasn't doing the forcing, so she really didn't see a problem. And the girl was so pretty too, maybe Subaru would talk to her some. Heavens knows he needed friends.

"Alright," she said hesitantly. She sounded as if she were unsure it was a good thing that a strange girl was abducting her son to school when she was in fact celebrating that _someone_ was forcing him to interact.

"Thank you ma'am!" Luna gushed then dragged Subaru out the door so fast Akane barely had time to hand him his red sneakers.

A highly displeased Subaru made it all of two blocks before he tugged Luna to a stop. She had only let go of his arm long enough for him to tie his shoes, and he was not accustomed to the undivided attention. He really just wanted to go back home; he hadn't even had a bite of breakfast, and his stomach unmercifully reminded him of this.

"Stop Shirogane-chan," he said forcefully. When she turned to face him he demanded, "What do you want?"

"I thought we established that Hoshikawa-kun," Luna said slowly, enunciating every syllable as if he were stupid, "I want you to come to school with me."

"And you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart?" he asked, the sarcasm finally surfacing, "No. What do you _really_ want?"

Just then, a set of voices called out behind his back, and Subaru cringed as more joined the party.

"Ah!" Luna smirked with satisfaction, "Kizamaro, Gonta, glad you could make it," she turned Subaru around to face them, ignoring his earlier question, "Hoshikawa-kun meet my associates: Ushijima Gonta and Saishoin Kizamaro." She gestured to each boy in turn.

"I would shake their hand, but you already have mine Shirogane-chan," Subaru said without emotion, "Now would you care to tell me what's going on here?"

"Did Luna-chan not tell you that you were coming to school with us?" Kizamaro asked, adjusting his glasses on his nose.

"She made that part quite clear," Subaru said between clenched teeth, "I was just asking _why_?"

"I need to boost my credibility in the eyes of my classmates because I am running for student body president," Luna said matter-of-factly, "If _you_ are seen attending with me, it will seem like the prodigal son has returned, and _I _guided his wayward soul back to the haven of Kodoma High. It will skyrocket my ratings, and benefit you no doubt. I know you are an intelligent boy, Hoshikawa-kun, but you're class-work grades do not seem to attest to that. You need peer encouragement, or competition."

"Why don't you want to go to school Subaru-kun?" Kizamaro asked, peering at Subaru intently "Is it because of your father?"

Subaru's emotionless brown eyes were suddenly boiling with anger. He swiped his wrist in such a way that Luna was unable to hold on.

"I don't go to school because _I choose_ not to." He proclaimed coldly, and turned to leave.

This would have been a good exit had Gonta not grabbed him by the scruff of his jacket, effectively restraining him.

"Good job Gonta!" Luna exclaimed, and then turned to Subaru, "It would be greatly appreciated if you attended with us. Perhaps we could arrange a deal. Is there something you want?"

"_I want_ to go home and eat my breakfast." Subaru said clearly. And then so suddenly that Luna would have missed it if she had blinked, Subaru planted his foot on Gonta's knee, pushing off so hard that he flipped backwards over his own shoulder and landed crouched on one knee. The effect resulted in Subaru's wrenching his jacket from Gonat's grasp and distancing himself from the group. With a silent, mocking salute, he turned and slipped between the morning crowds growing on the sidewalks. Within seconds he had melted into the masses.

"That's not the direction of his house." Kizamaro said, puzzled.

Luna just shrugged, but was more determined than ever to bring the enigma that was Hoshikawa Subaru to school with her. She would not lose this war. With her own smirk and salute in the general direction that he had disappeared, she turned on her heed and marched toward school.

Shirogane Luna:

She wasn't sure what she had been expecting when Hoshikawa Subaru opened the door that morning. When Kizamaro had given her his bio summary the day before she had thought he would be freakishly immature or possibly emo. She had also expected him to be asleep when she arrived. That's what any teenager who stayed home from school would do, duh. She had to quickly recover when her target opened the door directly. The boy standing in the doorway was not what she had prepared herself for. He was neatly dressed though with a distinct personal style. His jacket was red with white stars on the shoulders. His jean shorts went past his knees by a respectable distance, though he still sported a wide belt. Surprisingly, he wore no transer on his arm (see, they were no fashion statement), but his hands were covered with matching red fingerless gloves. His accessories were by far the strangest: a yellow, shooting-star pendant hung at chest level and a curvy pair of green specs rested on his head. When she met his eyes, she had to quick catch a breath. It's not like he was overly good looking, but his chocolate brown eyes were so intense it was painful; she thought she might melt. Get a grip Luna! How are you going to persuade him to go to school if you can't meet his eyes with equality? The only thing that saved her was his brunette hair, which appeared as though it had been spiked to laughable distances above his head. She quickly regained her composure before she began.

In Luna's mind, all this took place in a matter of seconds.

Hoshikawa Subaru:

Subaru knew his mom would be disappointed if he returned home so soon. She would know how he had failed at putting his past pains aside and moving forward, and that he had missed out on a potential chance to make friends. He knew she wouldn't say anything to upset him, but he couldn't handle to looks she would shoot his way: worried, hurt, angry, lonely (she had lost her husband in the accident after all). So many people were telling him to move on, but he was scared that he would lose the image of his father that he held in his mind. He would admit it: he was a coward, and he was deathly afraid of forgetting.

But every time he thought of something besides his dad, he would find it harder to recall his father's courage, strength, love, and passion. Years had passed, and the less he remembered his dad, the less he could remember who _he_ wanted to become. Whichever route he chose simply tore him apart even more. Sooner or later, he would cease to be Hoshikawa Subaru altogether, even if that did sound a tad bit dramatic.

His mom once asked him if he wanted to get counseling. Subaru thought he counseled himself just fine.

So AMAKEN it would have to be. Amachi-san wouldn't mind having him there this early. That man practically lived in his labs; he probably had some food too. Subaru put the morning's eccentric start behind him as he slipped through the human traffic and headed east towards the labs.

His lucky break came when he remembered he had put his transer console in his pocket this morning. This touch screen device was detachable from the transer body but only provided basic functions: time, phone, and data passcards. This meant he wouldn't have to talk his way into the labs, because security generally didn't take to kindly to teenagers wandering, unescorted through the R&D department. In reality, Subaru was a member of AMAKEN. His dad had gotten him a lab, so that Subaru could do his own research when his dad was at work.

Subaru and his dad had started doing wave research together when Subaru was eight. The lab had been his tenth birthday present. While Subaru didn't invent anything so-to-speak, he published data on wave environments, fields, and activity. His findings gave inventors sources to go to when they were considering a new product. Amachi had proudly told Subaru that he invented _everything_; his research was used in every project. Daigo hadn't disagreed, but Subaru was not going to take credit for work he didn't do.

Subaru passed by the testing rooms, peering through the glass, looking for his friend, and hoping he wasn't busy. Unable to spot him anywhere, Subaru proceeded to Amachi's private labs. As cofounder, Amachi's space was much larger than Subaru's, furnished with the most recent equipment. The lock on Amachi's lab was on yellow, but as Subaru was unsure to what that meant, he merely proceeded inside.

The pneumatics of the door whirred slightly, signaling his entrance. Amachi Mamoru's head peeked over the top of a giant rocket engine that had been parked in his lab (Subaru was quite jealous). The rest of the lab was a huge mess, schematics and tools lying everywhere with an occasional soda can or pizza pox strewn haphazardly across the floor. Subaru raised his eyebrows at the mess.

The man himself was sitting behind the rocket turbine; a section of the paneling had been removed to expose the inner workings to the scientist's calculating eye. Amachi Mamoru was a rather hefty man, at an average height. His AMAKEN jacket looked rumpled like he had slept in it, and his brown cargo pants were streaked with grease and metal shavings. A wide boyish face was capped by and AMAKEN issue baseball hat so that his hair was flattened down, only to protrude out the back. The man had an infectious smile and dark black eyes, and for only being 27, he was a surprisingly accomplished engineer and inventor.

"Haven't left for a few days Amachi? Either you need a wife so you go home more often, or a maid to clean up after you in the lab." Subaru teased, putting his hands on his hips in a reproachful manner with a teasing frown of disapproval.

"Ah, no offence Subaru, but the door was supposed to be locked," he grinned sheepishly, "I didn't want anyone to see this mess, but I was making so much progress that I didn't want to stop. And I don't need you to come in here and get all motherly on me. Akane can do that just fine without your help."

"I think your door is broken then," Subaru said, shrugging off Amachi's good natured insults, "Is that what the yellow light means then?"

"Good heavens Subaru! You came in here without knowing what the warning light meant? I could have had this thing fired up," Amachi slapped the turbines to indicate his point, "and you could have been burnt to a crisp."

"Well I had to risk it; else I die of hunger on the doorstep of your lab. Have you got any good eats left over? I'm starving."

"And I'm surprised," Amachi laughed, "Why would you come here to eat instead of going home. The food is ten times better. Trust me, I know."

"There was a little interference at breakfast this morning." Subaru said reluctantly, knowing Amachi would have encouraged him to "make friends" as well.

Amachi frowned, but didn't press for details. Suddenly he had an idea.

"How long are you going to stand there moping," he called to Subaru with an encouraging smile, "Get up here and help me! We'll order you some breakfast as payment."

Subaru's enthusiasm was enough to wipe away the previous concerns. Amachi would stay in the lab a few hours after Subaru left, before he would decide to take a break. And when he did, Amachi found his lock pad light on green, fixed by Subaru's twiddling fingers.

Subaru hadn't found the heart to go home by lunchtime, or suppertime for that matter. Instead, he waited, patiently working in his lab as afternoon faded to twilight. Any other person would have found it horribly boring to be cooped up in his small lab, running scans and tests for hours on end, but Subaru enjoyed the silence, even if it was tiny bit lonely. Of course, he would never admit her was lonely to anyone else. His brain kept playing back the scene from this morning. He frowned, trying to shake the incident from his head. He wanted to forget that it had ever happened and return to his version of "normal." He hoped that Shirogane's group had given up, but for some reason, he highly doubted it. That Luna girl seemed like the type that always got her way.

"If those are friends, then I don't need or want them."

Subaru's voice sounded like it had been swallowed up by the humming of machines. Talking to himself really wasn't a good sign, but it had been a weird day altogether.

Glancing again out the window, he made a final note on his lab records before shutting it. As Subaru turned out the lights, a sudden surge of loneliness filled him again. Geez, what was with him today? He merely stared at the dark room, noting the shadows of familiar shapes of workbenches and machines. Subaru suddenly forgot why he did _any _research. What was the point?

Oh, yeah. Dad. He did research.

Subaru's heart thudded as he gripped the shooting-star pendant round his neck so tight that the sharp corners pressed painfully into his palms. Hurriedly, he shut the door and sprinted down the shadowy corridors of AMAKEN, crossing the compound in a matter of minutes to his destination. He carelessly banged through the door of the observatory, climbing a rickety, steel maintenance stairway to the roof. Without his usual caution, he plopped down along the edge of the spherical roof, dangling his feet off the side. Subaru took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and leaned back, allowing the cool air to clear his head. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the stars as they peeked out one by one, as the colors of the sunset faded to midnight blue. Butterflies still fluttered uneasily in his stomach for a reason he could not determine, and it wasn't the height.

Subaru came up here often to stargaze. The roof of the observatory was towered higher than most of the buildings of the AMAKEN grounds giving him a clear view of both the science labs and the city of Echo Ridge in the west. But Subaru was mostly here for the stars.

Stargazing always helped him remember his dad. As he found the constellations, a smile grew on his face: Cancer, Taurus, Libra, and Gemini. The loneliness that had plagued him earlier started to ebb slowly. Subaru could remember all the innumerable times he had done similar things with his dad, waiting for shooting stars, and betting each other on who knew the most constellations.

That reminded him. He slipped his green glasses down over his eyes, reveling in the new dimension of his vision. Hundreds of multicolored, crisscrossing beams of light filled the sky now, indicating a network of _waveroads_ (radio transmission pathways) that stretched endlessly in every direction. The visualizer was something he had actually made, but with loads of his dad's help. When he had first started wave-studies, Subaru had the idea to create something that would easily allow someone to see other frequencies. It was a year before his efforts came to fruition in the form of his odd green glasses. With his revolutionary specs he was able to see all spectrum of light; each color corresponded to frequency intensity, producing a rainbow of invisible waves.

The pulsing waves glowed brilliantly in the night sky. Darkness had officially set in, but Subaru remained unworried by the fact.

A few minutes later, Subaru noticed a disturbance in the wave environment above him. At first, he had thought he was imagining things or maybe falling asleep, but after consulting his Transer interface, he confirmed that his reception was spotty. That's strange, AMAKEN never suffered from such problems, it would disrupt tests taking place in the labs. When he looked up at the sky again, he could barely believe his eyes. A wide, circular gap in the waveroads had opened up above him, save for the transmission leading straight to the observatory tower. The interference crackled with palpable energy, the interrupted waveroads buzzed angrily, but the tower transmission grew brighter and brighter. He stood up just as a painful flash filled his vision, blinding him momentarily.

While Subaru remained blinded, he suddenly heard the very last thing he could have expected: a voice.

"This is earth?" a deep voice growled, "I thought it would be different."

To say that Subaru was surprised would be a dramatic understatement. He opened his eyes, residual flashes of white still obscured his vision, but not enough to block out a massive, ghost-like creature floating in front of him. The readings from the visualizer were telling him that it was made completely of EM waves, but that was impossible. The specter glowed, primarily green, the visualizer informed him that the thing existed in all wave states by outlining its silhouette with a rainbow sheen. The thing's face appeared dragon-like: a square-ish mouth with a row of razor fangs, glowing red eyes, and crests that spiked backwards on each side of its head. Its other definable features were a blue breastplate and shoulder guards, arms ending in huge claws, and a fiery green mane flowing down its back. Though Subaru had never seen anything like it, the overall effect was frightening.

The ghost seemed to be ignoring him, observing its surroundings with ruby eyes before it muttered to itself again, "There was a strong signal coming from this server, yet all that's here is a dweebish kid. What's up with that?"

"Hey," Subaru finally regained his senses, "I can hear you, ya'know!"

The ghost turned towards him, teeth glinting in the starlight, and claws ready for action. Subaru gulped; perhaps he shouldn't have drawn attention to himself. The dragon-whatever looked angry, and he was trapped atop the observatory roof; there was nowhere to run.

"You can see me as well it would seem," the beast growled, floating closer to Subaru. His presence seemed to charge the atmosphere around Subaru with energy, his hair stood on end and his mouth tasted like metal. Subaru desperately wanted to edge away, but he was already backed against the precipice of the roof. The ghost-thing was critically analyzing him with intense red eyes, completely unmoving.

"C-can I help you?" Subaru stuttered uncertainly, going for the respectful route.

"That symbol around your neck," the creature indicated Subaru's necklace with a green claw, "Does every human were such a thing?"

Confused Subaru shook his head, "No, I made it myself. I'm the only one who has it."

"Then why did Hoshikawa Diago wear such an emblem as well?"

"Dad?" Subaru's whisper was so soft, he was sure the creature didn't hear it.

"You are the son of Hoshikawa Diago?" the creature said, surprised.

"You know my dad?" Subaru questioned loudly, "What-? How-? Who are you?" Subaru's questions came out rapid fire, uncontrolled.

The creature floated back a ways from the sudden tirade, unsure what the child was attempting to say. The boy was in obvious distress, even from an alien's point of view. He now recognized the wave patterns that had brought him here. And the pendant; it had some sort of amplifying effect. The boy's misery seemed to wash over the creature, he could feel the emptiness inside the boy, calling him to take control, but he didn't want to. This new conscience he had developed stopped him from involving a child in his escape.

"Who are you?" the demand came more firmly this time.

"Warrock, of planet FM," Warrock growled, not particularly keen on revealing the information.

"How do you know my dad?"

"That's none of you business kid," the creature rumbled, red eyes flashing.

"Tell me." Subaru demanded.

Suddenly, Warrock was very close again, his muzzle only inches from Subaru's face. Subaru leaned away, nearly losing his balance and falling backwards over the edge of the roof. Without warning, Subaru's stomach flipped sickeningly inside of him. His head began to pound as if someone was banging on it like a drum, and his vision hazed over. Warrock's very presence scrambled his bodily functions. He felt weak and shaky, his breath coming in short gasps.

"I don't think you need to be making demands here." Warrock growled menacingly, as Subaru dropped to his knees.

"I-I want. To know. About my fa-father," Subaru gasped through the pain as he clutched his chest.

Warrock suddenly spun around, as if he heard something, "Someone is coming. They have sensed my presence. I must go."

"NO!" Subaru exclaimed grasping at straws, "They can track you if you do. Your energy signature is too powerful. Didn't you notice the way you disturbed the waveroads for like a mile in every direction. You have to disguise yourself, not run."

"Then what do you suggest?" Warrock snarled.

With a trembling hand Subaru withdrew his transer console from his pocket, "In here," he said, more calmly this time, "I won't tell anyone about you, and this computer will disguise you as the energy source."

"Why would you protect me?" the creature asked, skepticism written across its face.

"Just trust me." Subaru pleaded. Secretly, Subaru wanted to question Warrock further about his father. The creature was obviously one of the Wave-creatures his dad had talked about. Though the idea had sounded a touch crazy, Subaru never doubted his dad. Now here was a real, live alien right in front of him, no more proof necessary. If the alien was indebted to Subaru, he might fell honor bound to answer his questions. _Might_ being the key word here.

Without any further objections, Warrock beamed himself into the transer. His mission complete, Subaru returned the interface to his pocket and sat down normally again. With Warrock's presence contained by the transer, he no longer suffered from the effects of powerful wave-exposure either. Subaru took a deep shuddering breath to calm his nerves, awaiting whoever had been sent to check the tower to discover him.

Thirty seconds later, the maintenance door burst open, revealing a huffing figure. Amachi Mamoru looked like he had just run a few miles, instead of a few hundred yards.

"Subaru! What on earth are you doing up here?" He practically yelled in a single breath.

Subaru merely pointed upward, feigning calmness, "Stargazing." He said simply.

Amachi rolled his eyes, "That is what the observatory is for Subaru, not theobservatory _roof_."

"I know Amachi-san."

"How would I explain it to your mother if you managed to get a pair of broken legs 'stargazing'?" The scientist said jokingly, and then grew serious, "She called by the way. A bit worried about you. Why didn't you tell her where you were? Did you turn your transer off again?"

"No," Subaru said, mildly ashamed, "I forgot it. I only brought my interface, and it's a little out of wack today."

"You still could have called her on a phone in my lab." Amachi admonished.

"I know."

"Is something wrong Subaru? Is there something you want to talk about?"

"No, I'm just ready to go home." Subaru tried to stand up, but his body was still uncooperative from his run-in with Warrock. He barely rose a few inches from his perch before he was forced to give up, and slump back down. Amachi pulled him to his feet, concern flitting across his face.

"I'll drive you home. It's already pretty late."

"Thank you Amachi-san," Subaru sighed gratefully.

The scientist helped Subaru to his car, assuming the boy was just worn out from a long day. But right before Subaru fell asleep in the passenger seat, he heard Amachi ask, "Hey, did you see anything odd when you were up there?"

"Nope, not a thing," and with that, Subaru passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Hoshikawa Subaru:

Subaru woke, unmercifully, to a blinding headache. Sharp pain radiated through each of his temples, and ended with pins and needles behind his eyes. The only cognizant actions he could manage were to squeeze his eyes tightly together, roll over in bed, and pull his covers up over his head. Subaru was sure he was going to throw up from the feeling like his brain was splitting in two. At least he was at home, in bed. He made a valiant effort to fall back asleep and escape the relentless pounding. He was clueless as to what he might have done to deserve such agonizing pain.

Nearly an hour later, Akane came up to check on him, concerned that he hadn't yet gotten up on his own. She found her son, curled in a tight ball with his hands clutching the sides of his head beneath the sheets of his bed.

"Su," she gently shook his shoulder to see if he was awake. Akane was relieved to see his eyes crack open, though just barely.

"What's wrong Su?" she asked softly.

"I've got a killer headache," he croaked before shutting his eyes again

"Would you like to take something for it?" Akane offered.

Subaru simply nodded. He vaguely heard his mom retreat back down the stairs to the kitchen where she rifled through the cabinets for aspirin. Even as he heard this, he made no effort to get up.

"So do you just lie there all day?" Subaru heard a deep voice sarcastically snigger from his nightstand, "I was under the impression humans were a little more active."

Subaru's eyes snapped open in shock at the jab. Forgetting about his headache, he pushed himself into a sitting position, almost toppling over again as his head started to swim.

"Who said that?" he asked into thin air, beginning to suspect what the answer might be.

"I'm hurt," the voice said snarkily, "I hang around to keep an eye on you and make sure that you're okay, and as thanks you don't even remember my name. Are all humans this rude, or are you just especially imbecilic?"

Subaru quickly jogged his memory. Last night, what had happened last night? Oh yeah, how could he have forgotten his little encounter with the glowing E.T.? His visualizer was neatly folded beside his transer on his nightstand, so he reached over and put them on.

There was still no sign of the dragon-like creature.

"Uh, where are you?" he asked hesitantly.

A sigh rattled from the speakers of his transer, "In here you idiot. It was _your_ idea after all."

"Oh yeah," Subaru mumbled, a little on the slow side this morning.

Warrock suddenly materialized from the transer, appearing _right_ in front of Subaru's face. He would have to teach this alien some basic manners, especially those pertaining to personal space_._ Unfortunately, Subaru's headache spiked again with the resulting exposure to Warrock's EM body.

Squeezing his temples Subaru hissed in irritation, "Go back into the transer."

Warrock cast him a haughty look, like he had no intention of following orders from a mere human boy.

"Please!" Subaru tacked on after seeing the alien's red eyes flash.

Warrock mercifully conceded, disappearing in a flash of light and a quick chime from his transer signaling the successful download. Subaru took a deep breath, trying to clear up the muddled mess that was his brain. He was pretty sure that he had felt sick like this since he had met the alien. Warrock's crazy EM waves were most likely clashing with his own brain waves, hence the disoriented thoughts. He was just making a shot in the dark here, but he was guessing that his transer helped to contain most of the waves, but some were still escaping. He should probably talk to Amachi-san as soon as possible, in case this was some sort of threat to his health, but there was no way he could tell the scientist the whole story. Warrock would ditch him if he even breathed a word in reference to the EM alien, and he didn't want to lose the only lead he had on his father.

His racing thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the ding-dong of the doorbell. Curious, Subaru slipped out of his bed, crossing his room to listen from the doorway. His mom had already answered it, allowing the unwelcome sound of none other than Shirogane Luna's clear voice to reach his ears…

"Good morning Hoshikawa-san," she chirped politely, "May I ask where Subaru-kun is this morning?"

Subaru grimaced, she'd come to drag him off to school again.

"He's not feeling well I'm afraid," Akane's voice sounded worried, "He's been in bed all morning with a headache."

"Oh!" Luna seemed surprised.

"You'll have to come check on him another time when he's feeling better." Akane said.

Subaru was tempted to smack his head on the doorframe. So his mom was _encouraging_ them? Great, Luna-chan and his mom teaming up, he'd never survive.

"We will Hoshikawa-san. I hope he gets well soon. Have a good day."

With that, Subaru heard the door close. Quietly, he slinked down the stairs to the kitchen, just as his mom was about to bring him a glass of water. She looked surprised when she looked up to see Subaru standing there in socks and his rumpled clothing from the day before.

"'Morning," He mumbled, passing her and slouching down into a chair at the table.

Akane's lips tugged upward a bit at the sight of her son, but she wordlessly passed him the glass of water and an aspirin before fixing him some breakfast.

"I take it you're feeling a bit better," she said glancing away from the pan of eggs she was frying, "You just missed that group of kids from school."

"I know," Subaru said dully.

"You don't sound too disappointed," Akane observed, sounding a little bit disappointed herself.

Subaru didn't answer, frowning slightly. Akane served him the finished eggs before turning to clean the kitchen. It was silent for a few minutes, not an uncommon occurrence among the small Hoshikawa household.

"I think I'm going to head over to AMAKEN after lunch," Subaru said after finishing his breakfast.

"As long as you feel well enough Su," Akane said with a motherly tone.

"I will," Subaru answered with a roll of his eyes. Geez, moms sometimes.

It was about twelve thirty when Subaru left his house for AMAKEN. He still had a small headache, but nowhere near as bad as the one he'd woken up with. The midday sidewalks were fairly empty, allowing him to start a nondescript conversation with Warrock. The alien had been hiding in his transer all morning, but seemed a bit edgy nonetheless.

"So did anyone see you last night?" he asked.

"I was not detected. Although that man who brought you home ran a few scans, he did not suspect you or your device." Warrock's visage gleamed on his transer screen as Subaru walked through a patch of sunlight.

Subaru smirked slightly, "See, I told you it would work." But his gazed shifted to the side as he breathed a small sigh of relief. He had been unsure if his little ploy would work or not. It had only been a guess, but then again, his guesses were usually right.

"Indeed you did," the alien admitted, unfamiliar enough with human expressions to read Subaru's relief, "It seems you were useful after all."

Subaru scowled a bit but pressed on, "So will you tell me about my dad now?"

"No."

"Why not?" Subaru burst out, earning a few glances from those passing by. He lowered his voice and asked again, "Why not?"

"I rather like it in here, and I think I want to stay for awhile. I can't have you kicking me out as soon as you know what you want to know." Warrock said smugly.

Subaru ground his teeth. So the alien had figured it out. Bummer, he'd need to devise a new plan for extracting the information he wanted.

"Why do you want to stay?" Subaru questioned, "You've seemed pretty shifty all morning."

Warrock wouldn't meet Subaru's stare, "I am a fugitive, on the run from my own kind. It has been a while since I've gotten to lay low."

"I see," Subaru digested the information, "But what if I decide to turn you into to a scientist or something like that, so they can take you apart and examine you?"

"Then I will leave, and you will never learn about your father," Warrock said simply, "And people will think you're crazy when you go around screaming about invisible aliens without any proof. People didn't like that idea when Diago mentioned it either; it seems to make them uncomfortable."

Subaru didn't say anything, mulling it over.

"I am fine staying in here, but you might have to humor me a little if you want to hear about your father," Warrock said dropping a hint.

"Fine!" Subaru answered with a scowl, sensing he's just conceded to an ultimatum. He dropped his arm that had been holding the transer screen near his face. As he continued walking, he almost missed Warrock's last comment.

"…And I will leave if I happen to put you in any mortal danger."

Subaru bee-lined straight for Amachi's labs upon his arrival at AMAKEN. He felt he needed to ascertain that harboring an alien fugitive would not be bad for his health before he fully agreed to it. He found the man soon enough. Through the window of Amahchi's lab door Subaru could see that he was still working on the same rocket, perched atop a small step ladder. This time the rocket had power coils attached and the engine whirring. Subaru made sure to knock.

Unfortunately, knocking wasn't going to cut it. Amachi was wearing a pair of earmuffs to drown out the noise of the engine; even the doorbell would be no good in this case. Frowning in concentration, Subaru summoned as screen on his transer and established a link with the lock on the door. He watched the code scroll across the screen for a moment before taping a few commands on the screen. About thirty seconds later his frown had turned into a grin. With one last tap he shut his transer and looked through the lab window. The doorbell went off with an earsplitting screech quickly followed by the lights in the lab beginning to flicker on and off like in a deaf person's house. Amachi frantically looked abound in confusion, trying to decipher if the doorbell was some sort of alarm he had set off.

Eventually he saw Subaru at the door who nonchalantly smiled and waved back. Amachi dismounted the step ladder, almost falling, and then proceeded to trip over the huge power cords on the floor. Subaru winced; he most certainly was going to get chewed out for this. Amachi turned off the engines and opened the door, a very unhappy look on his face.

"Something urgent Subaru?" Amachi asked, sounding slightly peeved at being interrupted.

"Sorry," Subaru shrugged, "I just wanted to talk to you for awhile."

Amachi's frown dropped instantly. It was not very often that Hoshikawa Subaru came around just 'to talk.'

"Sure thing." Amachi stepped out of the doorway, gesturing for Subaru to come inside. Subaru found the nearest stool and sat down, his face pensive. When he didn't start Amachi started.

"I'm giving a tour of the labs later today so I should probably clean up and eat lunch. Thanks for the 'alarm' anyway." Amachi smiled, raising an eyebrow, "If you wanted, you could help me host the tour. Your experience and input would be appreciated, not to mention the kids coming are your age. You might be able to make them feel more welcome."

"Nah," Subaru said dismissively, "Anyway, the reason I came to see you is because I had a bit of a headache all morning and it got me thinking. Is there any research available on how EM waves might negatively affect humans, or is that something I should look into? I just finished up my last project on magnetic fields, so I'll be needing some new material."

"No, there isn't any pre-existing data." Amachi confessed with a sigh, "Wave technology is so recent there is still a lot we don't know about it. It has only been a few years since your dad developed a way to harness wave energy. The research you're talking about has been causing some problems around the lab lately. The engineers developing new equipment have been having troubles with getting patents from the government. Apparently there are some people in politics who are worried about the side effects of new wave technology."

"What do you think about it," Subaru asked, curious, "I'm sure you at least have a theory."

Amachi smiled, "Thanks for your vote of confidence." He sighed before continuing, "Don't quote me on this, but I believe the benefits of wave technology outweigh the risks. The units themselves give off very few EM waves. The dangerous parts are the energy sources, which are all in space, so that disadvantage really isn't a problem. Harm due to over-exposure is negligible."

Subaru nodded, digesting this new information. It sounded like harboring Warrock may be a problem. _He_ was from space after all. Either way, it sounded like he had a new research project on his hands.

"Thanks Amachi-san. I'll look into it." Subaru said making his split-second, executive decision.

"No problem, Subaru-kun. Anytime you need me." Amachi had already started shuffling blueprints together in an attempt to make his lab look tidy before his visitors arrived. Seconds later the rigged doorbell went off, causing the earsplitting ring to shriek and the lights to flicker frantically.

"Darn, those kids are prompt," Amachi yelled over the noise, "And Subaru, you had better fix that doorbell today or I'm going to call your mother."

Subaru was frozen, stock still, staring with dread at the door. Through the glass he could make out three now familiar shapes: a large boy, a small boy, and a _girl_. Crap! They had found him again, the illustrious lady Luna and her lackeys. He had to split, and fast, or he'd never escape. Hoping they hadn't already noticed him, Subaru slipped behind the rocket engines, grateful Amachi had been working on a rather large project lately. By now Amachi had opened the door, silencing the alarm. Subaru just had to wait for the right moment to slip out unnoticed while they were talking.

Shirogane Luna:

Luna had to admit, she jumped a little when the doorbell set off a blaring sound like a sickly foghorn. This scientist, Mamoru Amachi, must have a weird sense of humor, but she was told he was the best scientist in the labs. The alarm turned off, the moment the door opened to reveal the man himself. Luna's impression first was that this guy looked way too young to be an expert. Then second, he didn't look as nerdy as she had expected (especially from all her experience with Kizamaro).

"Hi guys," He said with a friendly smile on his boyish face, "I'm Mamoru Amachi. Come into my lab and we'll get started."

He led the way into a spacey, open lab (apart from the giant rocket engine occupying the entire right side of the room). It was a sort of orderly mess she would expect from a genius's laboratory, but it was still intriguing to see it firsthand.

"Sorry about the doorbell," Amachi-san said with some irritation, "Someone thought I needed a wake-up call from my work, so they decided to reprogram it."

He said the last part in a raised voice as if he expected someone else in the room to hear. When no one responded, he sighed becoming serious, but maintained a warm smile. "Alright, I suppose we should start with the tour and then I can answer any questions you need for your school project."

Luna was just about to wonder if this scientist was a touch bit crazy from whiffing one too many chemicals when she heard the door open and close behind her. Spinning on the spot she barely caught sight of an odd red jacket and spiky brunette hair. Despite her confusion, she heard Amachi-san sigh again, this time with far more disappointment.

"I had hoped he would stay," Luna could just make out Amachi-san murmur under his breath, "I should have known better than to get my hopes up."

"Who was that?" Luna asked, pretending she hadn't heard his remarks.

Amachi looked at the door, an impassive look on his face before he answered, "Hoshikawa Subaru. His dad was a close friend of mine. AMAKEN is like a second home to him. He does a lot of research here too for the other scientists. I was hoping Subaru-kun would help us with the tour, but it appears he is otherwise engaged this afternoon."

There was a ghost of a smile on his face. Luna was pretty sure Amachi-san knew Subaru had left because of Gonta, Kizamaro, and herself.

Luna looked at the door again, miffed, "Well isn't he all high and mighty."

Amachi-san laughed, placing a calming hand on her shoulder, "He is a piece of work, that's for sure. But I think the reason he left was to go start a new project. He just had a new idea this afternoon, I'm sure he wants to get to work on it right away. We can't fault him for that."

Luna huffed, not satisfied.

"Excuse me Amachi-san," Kizamaro said, adjusting his glasses, "I was just wondering, does Subaru-kun really do all that research on his own? It would seem highly unlikely, especially because his school grades don't reflect anything past average intelligence."

Amachi-san's eyes widened slightly at that statement. Secretly, Luna wanted to punch Kizamaro for being so tactless, but she let it slide because she was curious to know the answer herself.

"Do you guys know Subaru-kun?" Amachi-san asked curiously.

"Yeah!" Gonta finally made his debut, "We are trying to force him to come to school with us!"

This time Luna couldn't resist. She punched Gonta in the burly arm, hard.

"So, does he?" She attempted to bring the conversation back on track.

"Yep," Amachi-san nodded, raising and appraising eyebrow at the group with newfound interest. Luna could feel his eyes examining them, true to his profession. "He's been tagging along with his dad since he was a troublemaking toddler (though the troublemaking part hasn't changed much). He started his own project when he was nine, and has been working here ever since."

Luna found this hard to believe, but knew the scientist would have no reason to lie to them. If Subaru was so smart, why did he seem so lackadaisical about his studies? She, the class president, was now even more determined to right this wrong.

Later, Luna would regret letting her mind wander so much. She couldn't stop thinking about her elusive goal. If Subaru was as smart as they said he was her job might be a lot harder than she had originally thought. At the end of the day the only part of the tour she remembered was one little, immaculate, and very empty lab: Subaru's.

Hoshikawa Subaru:

Subaru breathed a sigh of relief as he stole away from Amachi's lab. That had been a close call; too close for him. Now he couldn't even hang around AMAKEN without running the risk of encountering Luna's pesky little group.

He quickly made his way out the front doors before slowing down to a more relaxed stride on the sidewalk. It was still too early to go home, so Subaru began to meander aimlessly around the city. Occasionally Warrock would pipe up and ask him questions, but for the most part they were both silent.

Subaru had grown up in Kodoma Town, so he was quite familiar all the streets and parks. He had even explored the city using his visualizer, following the wave-roads as best as he could from the ground. He did that now, sliding his glasses down onto his nose so he could observe the wave-world. The first thing he noticed was the new monorail system, its EM signature glowing the brightest. It was the Wave-Liner, a monorail specifically designed to run purely on wave-energy. It was quickly becoming the fastest and most efficient form of transportation. There had only been a few minor setbacks due to EM virus activity, but it was usually easily taken care of.

"Subaru," Warrock growled suddenly, "Look over there."

Subaru glanced around to see what he was talking about.

"What? I don't see anyth…"

Speak of the devil. With his visualizer Subaru caught sight of a monorail bridge above a waterway about a quarter mile away that was currently swarming with viruses. They were shaped like tiny hardhats with feet and pick-axes that they were using to viciously attack the bridge's console. Subaru guessed that this particular bridge was built to raise for passing boats, hence the computer system. His transer confirmed his suspicions; the viruses were called _mettools_ by virus hunters (or more commonly called "busters") and the Satellite Police. They weren't usually too harmful, just small bits of haywire data glitches; even Subaru had the tools to easily take care of them. Weaponized data cards could be used to summon anti-virus programs via the transer.

Subaru decided to do his public duty and delete the viruses; it may just be one of the most exciting things that would happen to him today. He started to make his way to access the console, rifling through his pockets as he walked for the cards he needed. He wasn't too worried, this would be easy.

But before he could reach the computer, a new virus appeared: a much, much bigger one. It broke into the console in less than a second, disappearing into the network where it started to wreak further havoc. Alarm lights on the bridge accompanied by the warning bells indicated the rising of the bridge.

Great. Subaru broke into a run. This might be trickier than he had originally thought. He huffed as he arrived at the console, immediately flipping open his transer to establish a link. Unfortunately, he was too slow. A whistle of an approaching train made Subaru's head snap up. A red passenger train was barely two miles away, and headed this way fast. He gulped. Double great.

Subaru's fingers flew across his transer screen, occasionally straying towards his pocket for a data card. In five seconds flat he had deleted the mettools (that might just be a record), but that left the bigger problem of the oversized freak virus. It had taken control of the bridge's system and had locked Subaru out. After numerous failed attempts to gain access, Subaru settled for banging the console with his fist.

"Darn-it!" he cursed under his breath. He would have said worse, but he was afraid Warrock might go around repeating those phrases at inopportune moments.

A screeching noise filled the air as the train's brakes were engaged, but it was still moving dangerously fast towards the rising bridge.

"Finally," Subaru grumbled, he looked at his transer again, "Hey Warrock, anything you might be able to do about this?" He attempted to link up with the computer again, but unsurprisingly failed.

"Nope"

Subaru scowled, he knew the alien was being purposefully unhelpful. If the E.T. could clear waveroads like he did last night, a virus should be no sweat.

All Subaru could do now was watch as the first train car slowly mounted the bridge. It stopped midway, but as the bridge achieved its final height with jolt, the leading car tipped over sideways. Good news: it broke away and pushed the other cars back. Bad news: the disconnected car was now lying perpendicular to the rails, one side hanging off the edge of a fifty foot drop (and not into the river).

Sighing with relief, Subaru turned to leave. He wanted to help, but if the police found him toying with the bridge computer after a major accident, he would look pretty suspicious. He wasn't fond of hours of interrogation to say the least.

His intention was to walk home and watch the rest on TV, but something stopped him. He got the feeling he was forgetting something. About a second later, a loud, shrill voice cried out in fear. Subaru spun around with a sinking feeling; a figure was hanging from the door of the train car suspended in space. If he squinted, Subaru could just make out a familiar figure: Shirogane Luna. What a coincidence that _she_ was taking the same train home from AMAKEN that happened to be attacked by viruses that _he_ tried to stop. Creepy…

"Crud!" he muttered to himself, breaking into a sprint back towards the accident.

"What are you doing?" Warrock's voice emanated from the transer, "I thought we were leaving."

"I have to do something! She's going to fall!" Subaru exclaimed, short of breath.

"Why? Just two hours ago you were avoiding that human. I got the impression she was your enemy." The alien didn't sound confused, just matter of fact.

Subaru let out a short bark of laughter, "I may think that that girl is pesky, but that doesn't mean I would want her to die."

"There is nothing you could possibly do." Warrock said flatly, "Are you going to swim across the river and catch her on the other side? You will never make it in time, nor are you able. Go home now so you don't get mixed up in this mess. I do despise interrogations."

Subaru ground his teeth at this EM creature's impertinence, but his mad sprint was suddenly interrupted by a loud static fizz directly in front of him. Subaru slid to a stop just in time to see the giant virus from before materialize in front of him, completely visible without his visualizer. Now that he was close enough Subaru could guess the virus was ten feet tall with red eyes and two massive swords. He swallowed, this didn't look good.

"Hmm, interesting," Warrock observed, "The beast has absorbed sufficient energy from the train's system to substantiate for a short while."

While Subaru found this information helpful, he wanted to slap his own forehead. The idiot's voice had brought the virus's attention to Subaru. It growled menacingly as its glowing red eyes fixed on Subaru's frozen form, contemplating.

_Please don't notice me_, Subaru prayed, _I'm not here_.

"Playing stupid isn't going to help you Subaru, even if you are quite good at it," Warrock informed him. Subaru wanted to punch that butthead, but unfortunately, he couldn't physically touch an EM wave being. Shame.

The virus lurched toward the sound, blades slicing the air with a sickening swish. Subaru was petrified. He had never even seen a materialized virus before much less attempted to delete one. His mind was completely blank.

The virus advanced in the blink of an eye. Subaru barely noticed the flash of a sword as the flat of one of the virus's blades smashed him backwards. The strike had been so forceful that Subaru rolled till the wall of a building stopped him, hard. He sat up coughing. His chest had taken the brunt of the attack, knocking the breath out of him. He was certain he was covered in bruises and gravel from the ground, but his head spun, too confused to think. With hazy vision he could see the virus advancing to finish him off. Not good. Now was it just his imagination or was Warrock floating in front of it, blocking it from coming any nearer.

"I guess I have no other option," he growled, disgruntled, "We'll have to Dempa Henkan."

"What?" Subaru managed between gasps and coughs.

"'Wave Change' kid, keep up. Your brain waves match mine; it can allow us to pool our abilities. In other words, we can merge."

"I have no idea what you talking about," Subaru mumbled.

"You will soon enough," Warrock sounded frustrated, "Your dad figured it out pretty quick. Now just relax, I'm going to synchronize you."

"What! 'Sychronize me'? What the heck does that even mean?" Subaru panicked, absolutely _not _calm.

Warrock's EM body grew brighter, forcing Subaru to close his eyes. A sensation like he was being electrocuted and put to sleep at the same time crawled through his cranium like a fog. He couldn't focus on anything but the words Warrock had said earlier…

"Dempa-Henkan. Hoshikawa Subaru, on air."

His mouth moved on its own as a new energy overwhelmed his senses. It started from his chest, spiderwebbing out to his fingers and toes. It was as if someone had spiked his coffee with concentrated caffeine. He felt jittery, as if his body didn't weigh a thing. He was able to stand up, the pain from earlier completely gone. His eyes snapped open, just as hyperactive as he felt at the moment. Maybe it was adrenaline.

When he looked down at himself, he immediately discarded that idea. He was wearing a navy blue suit decked out with blue and silver armor: shoulder protectors, braces on his forearms, and a chest piece that bore his shooting-star symbol from his necklace he wore. His boots went up to his knees in a weird piece by piece fashion, and he knew he was wearing a helmet because a red visor passed over his eyes to the tip of his nose. Now he was pretty sure he was hallucinating.

"Get with the program kid. That virus won't stay stunned as long as you."

Subaru recognized Warrock's voice still issuing from his wrist. He noticed that his transer was fused to his arm, functioning as a section of the armor on his left forearm.

"Um, Warrock?" He hesitated, "What_ is _this?"

Warrock's sigh rasped through the speaker, "Dempa-Henkan," He enunciated each syllable unnecessarily clear, "You are now a Dempa-human, capable of all wave stages and especially powerful thanks to me."

"So what do I do?"

"Attack!" Warrock commanded, dragging his left arm forward. Subaru noticed the virus readying its weapons, while he had nothing but a pushy (or maybe it was pulley?) arm.

"How do I do that?" Subaru asked frantically.

"Point your left arm at it. I'll do the rest."

Subaru had never felt more stupid in his life, but he directed his left fist at the virus. He felt his hand re-align, sections of the armor shifting till it had configured into a streamlined cannon.

"Cool," Subaru admitted, getting warmed up to the idea of having a blaster for a hand. It was 'handy', seriously.

He aimed, and triggered with a thought, bracing his arm for the recoil with his other hand. A burst of violet light shot out, striking the virus right between its ugly, red eyes. It growled, but Subaru grinned triumphantly. He finally had the advantage.

The virus sped towards him again, but this time it seemed much slower to Subaru. He jumped to the side, his movements lightning-quick. So this is what Warrock had meant by powerful. The virus spun around, swinging out its sword in a vicious arc, but Subaru was no longer there. He had jumped up to avoid the attack, but didn't realize how high he would go. From seventy-five feet in the air he fired three more shots at the virus, two of them connecting. _Nobody's perfect_, he reasoned as he easily landed.

With a parting growl, the virus disappeared, changing its wave state to escape its newfound foe. Subaru didn't have an inkling of an idea of how to follow it.

"What just happened Rock?" he asked.

"It fled, and fast too. I can't sense it nearby anymore." Warrock took the question in stride.

_Shoot_, Subaru thought, then yelped as he had accidently triggered his weapon and blasted the ground next to his feet. As he looked at the smoking hole he seriously hoped this thing had a safety lock. With that thought, his blaster reverted to his normal left hand.

"Are you going to stand here and admire yourself," Warrock lazily reminded him, "Or are you going to go save that screaming girl over there?"

"Right!" Subaru remembered, "Thanks for reminding me Rock!"

"Don't mention it," Warrock muttered, slightly disgruntled at his new nickname. He hoped this wouldn't become a habit.

Subaru ran to the bridge, making it in a matter of seconds. Everything he did seemed to be fast, like he was sprinting but he wasn't getting tired. He effortlessly sprung onto the bridge despite the fact that it was fifty feet in the air.

"My body feels so light," He observed out loud.

"That's because it's made of waves. You don't have significant mass in Dempa-Henkan. You'll learn to control your own frequency later so that you can pass through solid objects or become completely tangible. But for now, I'm controlling it for you." Warrock informed him.

"Why?" Subaru asked.

"Because if I weren't…"

Subaru looked down at his feet to see that he was knee deep in the cement of the bridge.

He gulped, "Okay, I see why now." He gingerly climbed out of the bridge. Quickly, he resumed his sprint towards the teetering train car.

Luna was still hanging on the edge of the car for dear life, he voice pleading: "Someone HELP me! Get me down from here. I don't know how much longer I can hold on."

Right on cue, her fingers started to slip, but Subaru noticed there was no one in the train car to pull her up. Where had all the passengers gone? In the crucial seconds before he could reach her, Luna lost her grip entirely, screaming as she fell towards unforgiving cement.

Without giving it a second thought, Subaru threw himself off the bridge, intercepting Luna's fall in midair as Warrock made him tangible again. He felt their descent slow as the alien manipulated the wave environment surrounding them to a denser degree. Subaru would have to remember to thank him later for that; he was half-sure that on any other day Rock would have let them go splat. In the back of his mind, Subaru was curious as to how he was supposed to control the wave-states on his own. But now wasn't the time to deal with that. His feet gently alighted on the pavement at the base of the bridge, his smoothest landing yet.

"I made it," Subaru breathed to himself with relief.

He set Luna's feet on the ground, but her arms still clung tightly around his neck. In the distance, Subaru could hear the tell-tale sirens of the Satellite Police force; he guestimated they were about three minutes away. He couldn't hang around much longer, especially when he looked like some sort of humanoid freak-virus. They'd blame him without asking a single question. With an effort he focused back on his present issue: the traumatized girl still squeezing him. Unsure of what to do, he waited a few seconds before saying with forced casualty:

"You can let go of me now."

Luna cracked open her eyes at the remark, staring for a few seconds at her unexpected savior. In one surprised movement, she sprung back a step as if she had been electrocuted. She didn't meet his eyes as she nervously twiddled her fingers. Even through his visor, Subaru could see that she was blushing as she struggled for words. Since Luna looked like she was unable to string a coherent sentence together, Subaru continued.

"Are you hurt?"

"No," Luna's voice was quiet. She peered through her blonde bangs at his face, "Thank you for saving me."

"No problem," Subaru shrugged. He noticed the sirens getting closer. He was getting antsy, impatient to leave, but Luna's questions held him there.

"What's your name?" She asked, here olive-green eyes intent and curious.

A name? Subaru hadn't thought of that. Since Luna didn't seem to recognize him he definitely needed a _nom de plume_. He brainstormed for a minute trying to come up with something cool. Of course, he was combined with a supercharged alien life form. There was hardly anything "cool" about that – it was just downright freaky. Looking down at his suit and armor only reminded him about that. He sort of looked like…

"Rock… man (that was stupid)," he lamely stuttered.

Subaru looked to meet Luna's gaze, caught off guard when he was how her face was dazzled with admiration. He really wanted to disappear right now, only he didn't know how to yet. Unfortunately, even if he did know, those big, olive-green eyes were making his brain flatline.

He was saved by the sound of tires squealing to a stop on the pavement. Car-doors slammed as the Satellite Police arrived on the scene in full force, armed to the teeth with EM vacuums and disintegrators (Subaru seriously did _not_ want to find out what those would do to him). He tensed, knowing that this wasn't going to end well.

A man who was apparently in charge stepped out from behind one of the squad cars to assess the situation. He looked like the kind of man who was married to his work: tall, thin, and scruffy. He looked like he was in his mid-fifties with messy, black hair; bushy, black eyebrows; and beady, black eyes. His only distinguishing personal style was his long trench coat and a red alert-light attached to the top of his head. He pulled out a megaphone to address the odd pair.

"This is Inspector Goyouda speaking. TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED HERE!"

Subaru couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow, "Well that was… direct."

Luna suddenly interjected her two cents worth, throwing her arms around Subaru who staggered under her unexpected onslaught, "Rockman-sama saved me. Isn't he just the _greatest_!"

Goyouda apparently believed it was safe enough to approach the scene; or he just realized that they didn't have a megaphone of their own.

"Who did what now?" his rough question was directed at Luna, but his dark eyes were transfixed by the more oddly dressed of the pair.

"He saved me!" Luna gushed, "I fell out of the train-car and Rockman-sama caught me!"

"Sure kid," the inspector said dismissively, still staring Subaru down. His analyzing gaze was not helping Subaru feel any less self-conscience. All business Goyouda continued; "Is there anyone else on the trashed monorail car?"

"No," Luna said more quietly this time, explaining; "When I saw that the train wasn't going to stop in time, I helped everyone move to the cars at the back. I was the only one left on the front one because I was looking for anybody who hadn't made it yet." She let go of Subaru, clasping her hands behind her back with sudden shyness.

Subaru couldn't help but stare at her in surprise. Shirogane Luna had saved a train-car full of people, and she was being bashful about it? He couldn't help it: he was impressed. She would've had to think and act quickly.

"DID YOU DO THIS!" Goyouda suddenly jabbed an accusing finger at Subaru while indicating the smoking wreck atop the bridge with his other hand.

"NO!" Subaru and Luna both objected simultaneously.

"I told you!" Luna said, stepping between Subaru and the inspector, "He _saved_ me! How many times do I have to tell you? Rockman-sama _saved_ me!"

While the two began to argue, Warrock got Subaru's attention.

"Look above you," he ordered, "On the wave road. That giant virus is up there wreaking havoc on communications now. If you don't stop it once and for all, it will never see enough destruction."

"Awww," Subaru complained in a teasing tone, "But we wouldn't want to leave these two. And we've only just met."

"Such a shame," Warrock growled, detecting the sarcasm.

An explosion echoed though the open air from the wave road above them. Without another glance up, Subaru took action. He stepped forward, forcefully separating Luna and Goyouda, one with each hand.

"Sorry," he said, leaping up towards the oncoming battle, "Gotta run!"

A chorus of 'come back Rockman-sama' and 'get back here you delinquent' faded behind as Subaru jumped from perch to perch in order to achieve the height of the wave road. Warrock also did his part, altering their frequency to match whatever surface they landed on. At the top, Subaru stood on a wave road for the first time. It was strangely exhilarating, being miles in the air, suspended by nothing but a pulsing, translucent pathway. Looking past his feet he could see the city below, tiny and tinged orange by the EM transmission.

"So, before I barge headlong into another fight, are there any other weapons this thing had got besides the blaster?" Subaru inquired. His left-hand changed when he mentioned 'blaster.' He was going to have to be really careful about that.

"Not that I know of," Warrock confessed, "I'm just compatible with the transer."

Subaru digested that fact. Maybe…

He knew he was still carrying a few active weapon cards. Now if he could only get them. On a hunch, he closed his eyes, focusing on the ones he wanted: sword, gatling gun, power bomb. He peeked. Nothing.

Well, it had been worth a try. With a sigh he sprinted down the wave road after the virus, readying his only weapon. Within seconds Subaru was close enough, aiming his blaster before the virus could notice that he was there.

"Download complete!" Warrock chuckled victoriously, accompanied by an electric chime loud enough to alert the virus of Subaru's presence. The giant turned its burning, red eyes and dual blades on the source of the noise. It started to advance, the growling menacingly. _Why is it always me?_

"What was that for?" Subaru hissed, keeping the rampaging virus in his sights.

"Do you want these weapons or not?" Warrock said snidely.

"What weapons?"

"The ones you summoned. Now which one do you want?"

"Uhh… gatling?" with a flash, Subaru's blaster transformed into a multi-barreled gun. He swung it around and fired, just in time. The virus that had been charging him was only a few feet away when it was blasted point-blank by a barrage of bullets. The resulting force blew the virus back, completely knocking it over. It crashed into a smoking, semi-alive heap on the wave road.

Subaru stared, completely at a loss for what to do now. The giant virus now looked rather pathetic; a mangled pile of metal, twitching and sparking hopelessly. And he had barely made any effort.

"Finish it." Warrock commanded flatly, "If it regenerates it will only go back to destroying things." He chose the next card: a small, hard sphere materialized in Subaru's hand.

Feeling numb, Subaru let the power bomb slide from his fingers. It landed next to the doomed virus, beeped once, then exploded in a glorious display of pyrotechnics.

But Subaru was already miles away, flashing down the wave road in the blink of an eye.

Shirogane Luna:

Luna was pretty sure she should be dead. She had fallen off a bridge; generally the only people who did that were suicidal (and she was absolutely sure she wasn't). There was a possibility that she had hallucinated everything: falling from a monorail crash only to be saved by a boy in blue spandex and armor that could virtually fly. But the fact that she was still being held for questioning by the Satellite Police defunked that possibility. She couldn't stop replaying the moment in her head.

She was making the last sweep of the primary car when it mounted the bridge, the floor suddenly angled violently, throwing her from her feet. In a whirl of motion she had rolled across the floor, hands scrabbling for a handhold only to find herself hanging in the open air. Her fingers burned as they slipped from the doorframe of the train car, her panicked mind too overwhelmed to even think of a way to save herself. She had screamed when she fell, eyes squeezed shut in anticipation for a painful end. Believe her: there is no peaceful acceptance when you are suddenly thrown to an unavoidable death. A pair of strong, warm arms was the last thing she expected. Luna was not cognizant of what had happened; she thought she was dead and Jesus was carrying her home.

"I made it," She heard a voice sigh with relief, not what she expected from Jesus. By just listening only she could tell it was a teenage boy, not what she expected from a rescuer. Luna's muscles were still tight with fear; she couldn't even relax enough to open her eyes. That was, until the next comment came directed at her.

"You can let go of me now," the voice sounded perturbed and perplexed at the same time.

Luna's eyes sprang open. She was staring directly into a set of (okay, she'll admit it) wide, gorgeous eyes, obscured by a red tinted visor. She would hazard a guess that they were a rich, chocolate brown beneath the ruby glint of the glass. Jittered that she was as such a close proximity with a person of the opposite sex, she jumped back, cheeks immediately flushing with unwelcome heat. Though she bashfully adverted her gaze, she studied her rescuer in her peripheral vision. He _was_ a teenager, about fifteen or sixteen, and only a few inches taller than her. His features were slim and wiry. He was entirely covered in a body suit with light armor (like a superhero would wear) but it looked more like the computer programs NetNavis: humanoid intelligence units that were sometimes used to accomplish small tasks. But those hadn't been used for years, since the development of the transers, and they were never solid state.

"Are you hurt?" he asked inquisitively.

Right, definitely not a Navi; his expression was genuine, concerned, and a little nervous. Too human to be fabricated. His head was cocked to the side, expecting an answer.

"No," She said, stumbling over her words, "Thank you for saving me."

"No problem," the boy said with a shrug, nonchalant. All Luna could do was stare. She noticed him glance quickly into the distance then to his wrist. There was a transer there, fused to his arm, that definitely meant he was human. Only people used transers. An impatient look was growing on his face; desperate to detain him and learn more she asked her own question.

"What's your name?" She asked, a little ashamed of how eager she sounded.

He was quiet for a moment, thinking, "Rockman," he said, stumbling over the word. Oooo…kay, so weird name, but what girl doesn't like a bit of mystery? Any name works for her when the boy in question has superpowers, is chivalrous, and looks good in spandex. If she didn't watch herself she might start drooling over a total stranger.

Luckily the sound of police sirens cut her off mid-gawk. The nosey Satellite Police arrived to interrogate Luna and her savior. She was extremely nonplussed by the turn of events when that detective, Goyoda, accused Rockman of wrecking the monorail, Rockman ditched them without a goodbye, and she was held for further questioning. The rest is history, well, red-tape anyway.

Hours later, she was released to be sent home. Her parents had seen the news from their respective occupations, and both left messages on the home unit. But she didn't bother to listen to either as only one person was on her mind: Rockman.

Hoshikawa Subaru:

Removing the Dempa-Henkan was the opposite of entering said state. A warp-hole into real space opened up and kicked Subaru out of the Dempa world. Gravity and the other forces of nature welcomed him back in full force, promptly sending him smack onto the ground so that he landed unceremoniously on his face. His body felt heavy after weightlessness and he felt winded from moving at the speed of light even though it had cost him very little energy. Seeing that he was alone, Subaru made no effort to rise from the grassy park he had appeared in. Instead, he lay there, catching his breath and clearing the stars from his eyes. Needless to say, he felt _very_ disoriented.

"Well, that was… heroic." Warrock's comment was laced with derision. Subaru wondered how the alien had acquired such a talent for sarcasm; he most certainly hadn't exercised it earlier.

"What just happened?" Subaru asked himself, completely overwhelmed as the last fifteen minutes of his life finally hit him full force. Number one; he had fused with an alien. Number two; he had saved a girl's life. Number three; he had mercilessly defeated a giant EM Virus. Usually evaluating situations helped him to concentrate, like in his lab, but right now Subaru was at a loss for what to say or do. Luckily Warrock filled that gap.

"Congratulations kid," Warrock's growl sounded amused at the expense of his young partner, "You've become the first successful EM Human."

"What does that even mean?" Subaru's voice was muffled by the grass as he still hadn't bothered to lift his head off the ground.

Warrock's sigh rattled loudly from the speakers of the transer, "I've realized two things from our encounter with the beast; so sit up and listen to me." The command was enough for Subaru to lift his head and study Warrock's image on his transer screen, but no more. Realizing that this was the best attention he would receive Warrock continued, "First, that beast was abnormally large, no? It offers evidence that the increasing Dempa World here on earth is causing higher rates of data diversion, yet earth's defense systems are unable to develop their counter procedures at the same speed. These difficulties will become more and more common, and catastrophic. Which brings us to our second issue.

"I did not realize that I was deteriorating when I entered earth's atmosphere until I Dempa-Henkaned with you. Your human waves were reflected to match mine and I was able to stabilize, even double my EM enegy. I felt the change and realized that I had been slowly dying from the exposure to the machines drawing EM waves from the atmosphere. With this in mind, so long as I am in your transer or Dempa-Henkaned with you, I am safe."

Subaru's eyes widened at this revelation. When Warrock was uncontained his EM signature practically radiated away his life source, seeping off and dissipating in every direction. That was why Warrock had made him so sick last night; powerful waves had been emanating from the FMian and clashing with Subaru's own brain waves. If Warrock stayed on earth without a companion, he would soon fade away. But as partners, Warrock's waves were synched with Subaru's; Subaru was no longer harmed by Warrock's waves and Warrock was not harmed by earth's atmosphere.

With that realization Subaru observed that Warrock was looking highly uncomfortable at the moment. "I propose we form a treaty," He said gruffly, "I will tell you about your father and offer you protection and you will allow me to stay and protect me. I do not expect us to be 'friends' as you call it, but partners. Things here on earth are only about to get worse, but we have the power to advert some of the crisis. Deal?"

Suspicion wormed its way into Subaru's thoughts. Warrock didn't seem like the type of creature to want to be dependent on another, nor had he any concern for humans as he had previously displayed. Not only that, Subaru had no idea what Dempa-Henkan entailed; if he were to do it again, how much control could Warrock gain over him? But on the other hand, Warrock had merged to protect him. Why couldn't Subaru repay him? The alien had also mentioned that he was a fugitive in need of rest, and that he had information about his father. The pros and cons of the situation seemed evenly distributed. The choice was difficult yet easy.

"Deal."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Almost a week passed before Warrock could convince Subaru to Wave-change again, and only because of extenuating circumstances (a virus swarm at the supermarket for example). After that, Warrock and Subaru had had a serious heart-to-heart about the terms of their partnership. Subaru had even written is down, point by point, like some sort of diplomatic agreement (which it probably was). Both parties had a lot to learn.

Warrock's terms were to better understand humans, specifically Subaru as he tended to differ from the norm. The ET's understanding was limited, but he was beginning to grow accustomed to human life and the odd things it entailed: eating, sleeping and socializing (though the duo did very little of the last one).

Subaru's part entailed much more, physically that is. Warrock observed that Subaru was well acquainted with combat (a hidden skill he somehow possessed in his slight frame) but EM warriors necessitated much more than fighting sills. Subaru had to learn to control his wave state, utilize weapons, and pay attention to multiple enemies all at once. Warrock drilled Subaru constantly, instructing him semi-calmly through the learning process until he deemed the boy adequately enabled to control his frequency without the alien's help. It was a relief when the two didn't have to deal with awkward situations as a result of inexperience. Subaru didn't care to number the instances when he discovered himself accidently phased through the ground, a building, or even a person.

The common factor that both seemed to unite the two completely was, ironically, the waveworld. The endless network of transmission pathways (waveroads), signals (creatures called Mr. Hertz), and programs (netnavis usually) were strange and exotic. Denpa existed everywhere and Rockman had the freedom to explore it. Warrock was sure that it was the only thing motivating Subaru to transform. The human child had no interest in fighting viruses like Warrock so thoroughly enjoyed.

As the days passed, the alien realized that he was content to share his autonomy as an EM being and relived that he had found refuge on this quaint planet called earth. Warrock kept such thoughts to himself, he was aware that such emotions were foreign to him. The boy was "rubbing off on him" (an expression he had learned yet still didn't understand completely). And though Denpa-Henkan had not gone according to plan, despite Subaru's vulnerability to EM control, Warrock was grateful for his new situation. He was almost at home in Subaru's transer, and quite frankly, he was growing fond of the boy. Subaru was exactly like Daigo when it came to his curiosity for science and discovery; both were enthusiastic to an un-tolerable degree when they got interested in something. The only difference was Subaru's personal seclusion; it hid his similarity to his father's friendly benevolence. The boy claimed he didn't care about people, but Warrock knew his impulse action would always be to help those in danger.

The only thing that worried Warrock about Rockman was that _they_ would find him. It was only a matter of time before this brief intermission came to an end. Warrock had to be ready; he couldn't grow attached; he might just have to leave.

* * *

><p>Hoshikawa Subaru:<p>

A month had passed since the monorail accident. Subaru's was pretty sure his life had turned completely upside-down since the moment he agreed to Denpa-Henkan with Rock. He had been hesitant to do it again at first, enduring the alien's complaining and begging to transform. But after the initial shock he found that he secretly enjoyed being Rockman, more specifically, the amenities it included: superhuman abilities and unlimited access to the wave world. Any kid who hadn't dreamt of possessing superpowers at one point in their life was a deprived child. Of course the exploration opportunities appealed to him even more. He could travel the waveroads, crossing hundreds of miles in seconds, remaining invisible the entire time. Subaru was purposefully unsocial, being an EM human made it much easier to avoid people (*cough* Luna-chan *cough*).

Warrock was a different story. Subaru wasn't yet sure how he felt about the alien he now had to suffer from 24/7. Subaru _was_ an only-child, and an introverted one at that. Now he virtually had a younger sibling living in his transer. The ET could be annoying at times; whether Subaru was training, doing schoolwork, or in his labs Rock always had something to say. But the alien's curiosity (and ignorance) about humans often amused Subaru. Though Rock came off as gruff, harsh, or uncaring, Subaru could tell he was developing new conclusions about earth and its people.

Subaru's skill set was rapidly expanding; it now included activities such as 'wave-battling,' exploring and memorizing earth transmissions, avoiding his group of stalkers, and managing homework and lab work in the little free time left over. He remembered the long days spent in boredom before all this had happened, now there didn't seem to be enough hours in a day. But to be honest, he wasn't complaining, just adjusting.

His thoughts wandered over these things as he flashed down a waveroad. Since he had become more adept with wave-change, he didn't need to focus as much, allowing him time to think and plan. It was already past three 'o clock, and he had told his mom he would be at the labs while he was in fact, patrolling the skies for viruses above Kodoma Town. That had been his main cover in the past month – he would do his schoolwork in the morning before heading out to AMAKEN where he would check in with Amachi-san, ensuring that the man wouldn't come in and visit him while he was 'working,' aka: traipsing around as Rockman. But no excuse was fool proof, anyone could come looking for him soon, and he had been out for nearly four hours. There was also the matter of avoiding Miss Luna-chan. Despite Subaru's outright refusal to go to school with her, she hadn't given up. She was unabashedly determined. Subaru could not fathom why she was so intent on dragging _him_ into her campaign; it seemed a little extreme if you asked him. He wondered if she had alternate motives for persuading him to come to school, just like he had other reasons for not wanting to go.

Now back in his own lab, Subaru undid the dempa-henkan. He was prepared for the dizzying after affects by now, expertly retaining his balance. He quickly sat down, tucking into the task of writing down his observations about the waveworld that he had been recording. His notebook was filled with exhaustive notes on the different types of viruses, programs, and even sketched maps of transmission pathways. If anyone looked in, they would assume he was simply keeping his lab journal, but if anyone saw his work, they would wonder if he belonged in a loony bin. Subaru made sure that he either carried his notebook with him, or kept it locked in a file cabinet.

Satisfied with his work, Subaru shut the notebook, stuffed it in his bag, and grabbed his red jacket off the chair he'd been sitting in. He shut and locked the door to his lab, but as he turned to leave, a commanding, feminine voice lilted down the halls to reach his ears. No… not again.

Luna and her groupies had been following him relentlessly since that day he'd found Warrock over a month ago. Someone must've told her that he was 'doing research' in his lab. He glanced down at his transfer, only now realizing that the time had ticked away, the hour hand reaching four. He'd wasted too much time. Quickly but quietly he raced down the hallway in the opposite direction, glancing over his shoulder as he rounded the corner. Luna, Kizamaro, and Gonta had just turned down the hall were his lab was located, but luckily it seemed they hadn't glimpsed him. A small feeling of satisfaction barely had time to register before Subaru smacked into something – no someone – hard.

The collision left him sitting on his butt, rubbing his forehead with a small grimace fixed on his face.

"Pardon me!" the apologetic voice quaked nervously.

"Sorry," Subaru mumbled, "wasn't watching where I was going." He finally recovered enough to look and see who he had run in to.

Subaru knew most people who worked at AMAKEN, but this face was unfamiliar: pale and angular, his grey eyes were sunken and shadowed, his longish hair fell over his face and obscured nearly half it. The man was tall and thin, but seemed to be hunched protectively over a package that he clutched to his chest as if he were hanging onto it for dear life.

"Sorry," Subaru said again as he stood.

"Who are you, boy?" the man's voice quavering voice queried as he took a hesitant step back.

Subaru was used to this, "You must be new here. I'm Hoshikawa Subaru. I do research here." He would have offered his hand to shake, but the other man seemed loathe to release his package. Suddenly a memory clicked. Subaru snapped his fingers, "I'm a friend of Amachi-san. He told me we were getting a new researcher. You must be Shinsuke Utagai-san, right?"

Utagai's eyes widened fearfully, much to Subaru's confusion. "What has he told you about me?" he practically shouted, but his voice shook all the same.

Casting a backwards glance and the corner only a few feet behind him and desperately hoping that Luna hadn't heard the man's outburst, Subaru tried to placate the paranoid man. "Nothing… I mean, he hasn't told me much, just that we were getting a talented engineer and that you have already invented some pretty incredible things!"

"Liar!" the man shouted. His whole body was shaking, with anger or fear Subaru couldn't tell.

It was at that, inopportune moment that Luna's gang arrived on the strange scene of a flustered Subaru and panicked researcher.

"More people, "Utagai groaned releasing his package with one hand and clenching his skull with it, "more _humans_. I can't… I can't…"

Of course Luna would immediately think it was Subaru's fault, she already thought he was a no good troublemaker that constantly played hookey, even though he had explained it to her that he was_ homeschooled_. It only added to the mayhem when she started yelling at him to apologize and remedy his mistake.

"Hoshikawa-kun! What the heck are you doing?!" Luna raged.

"N-nothing! I didn't do anything!"

"Then why is this poor man practically crying after running into you?"

She meant it as a figure of speech, but Subaru's mind hadn't forgotten the earlier collision with Utagai-san, "It was an accident, I swear! And he wasn't this bad till you came around!" Not strictly true, but it would do for now.

"What!?" Luna's voice went up another notch in her fury, "You're blaming this on me!? Well I should inform you that –"

"WHY IS THERE A SHOUTING MATCH GOING ON IN MY LAB!" Amachi's voice suddenly came from right behind the group , making them all jump."

It was silent for a moment before Subaru mumbled quietly, "Well you just added to it."

"Zip it, Su," Amachi said with authority. He silently appraised the group standing before him, including Utagai, who was surreptitiously edging away from the others.

"I knew I couldn't trust you," Utagai suddenly said, his voice strong but quiet, "_he_ told me I wouldn't be safe, even here."

Amachi's eyes fell on his fellow researcher and softened fractionally, "It's alright Utagai, you can trust these guys." He stepped over to put a hand on Subaru's shoulder, "You've met Subaru-kun it seems, and these are his friends: Luna-chan, Kizamaro-kun, and Gonta-kun."

Subaru wasn't sure how Amachi knew the names of the Kodoma High students, but he didn't appreciate the easy-going way he called them his 'friends.' Unfortunately, Amachi's reassurance meant nothing to Utagai. The man squeezed his eyes shut as if he were hearing other words, turned on his heel, and ran down the hall in a terrified sprint.

Amachi sighed, closing his eyes in a way that seemed he had just sent a prayer toward heaven in petition for the departing man. The ensuing silence was enough to make all teenagers present feel awkward. Subaru's mind raced, trying to think of the best excuse to get away from all these people, but something else was eating at his thoughts. He had been getting a weird vibe from Utagai-san, a presence that didn't feel human. Since dempa-henkan with Warrock he had begun to get a sort of 'chill' when viruses were nearby; but this, this was more intelligent – more malevolent.

"What was that all about," Kizamaro finally broke the silence, pushing his glasses up on his nose as he made his inquiry.

Amachi sighed again, but answered the question, only his attention was now focused on Subaru, "Do you remember my telling you about our new recruit?"

"Yeah," Subaru said slowly, "That's him right, Shinsuke Utagai."

"Yes, indeed, but I didn't tell you the whole story behind his arrival. Do you remember who invented the interactive holographic displays for the transer."

"Wasn't it invented by a researcher in that government lab further south, Mifune or something like that?" Subaru phrased it like a question, not sure where this was going.

Amachi nodded his head gravely, "That was Utagai-san's old boss. When Utagai finished his prototype for the screens, he showed it to his boss, a man whom he had thought was trustworthy."

"Wait!" Subaru interrupted, too outraged by the oncoming epiphany, "You mean the screens were Utagai's design and Mifune stole them from him!?"

The senior engineer's silence was enough of an answer, "It took me a lot of convincing to get him to transfer here. He's had a lot of difficulty trusting other people; I really want to give that luxury back to him. No one should have to deal with betrayal."

Subaru was stunned into silence.

"He still doesn't seem to trust you completely yet either, Amachi-san, does he?" Luna said quietly. Her eyes were unreadable as she added, "But it means a lot that you keep trying to care."

Amachi smiled at the girl, "Thank you for saying that Miss Luna-chan. I'll probably check on him a little later today. In the meantime, have fun!"

With a wave and a laugh, Amachi strode back down the hall from whence he had come, and it was only too late that Subaru realized he had just given Luna the permission to haul him off, which is exactly what happened. Luna grabbed his collar and proceeded to drag him who-knows-where.

"Let go!" Suabru tried in vain to pull away from her iron grip. Oh, it would be so heavenly to be able to turn intangible like in his wave-form right now. But no, he must suffer. The group had only just made it through the front sliding doors of the facility, when Luna stopped.

"I'm not letting go till we've had a long hard talk about school. It's been a month – a _month_ – and you've done nothing but avoid me and blow me off like I'm not even trying. I'm sick of it!"

"Then why don't you just quit?" Subaru ground out as the collar of his shirt attempted to choke him again.

Suddenly, that threat was no longer there. Luna had released him. He was so stunned that he didn't react instantly, just stood there and stared, transfixed by the expression she was giving him. She looked angry yet confused, only her eyes remained hard, their fierce determination never waned.

"Because Hoshikawa-kun, I honestly think it would be better for you to attend school, and I want you to see that too."

Subaru did _not_ know what to make of that, luckily he didn't have to think of it for too long. Above their heads, glass shattered, a deadly rain falling from a second story window. Subaru's reflexes took over, he grabbed Luna's wrist and harshly jerked her underneath the over-hang where Kizamaro and Gonta had been standing. The tinkling of glass on the cement might have sounded pretty, but he knew Luna and he had been seconds away from having more than a few painful lacerations. The girl in question was staring wide eyed at the prisms littering the place where she had been standing.

"Kid!" Rock's voice was discreet as an alien's could be in this situation. It was all he needed to get Subaru's attention. A beam of blue light shot from the broken window, arching over AMAKEN before settling on one model rockets in the courtyard. In another flash of light a being stood atop the nose of the rocket regarding the complex with yellow eyes.

"Cygnus," Warrock growled the name with a tone of loathing Subaru had never heard him use before. The EM being's most noticeable feature were long white wings, spread wide, that protruded from its back; a black, swan-like bill hung over his face, shadowing his eyes; and black, webbed feet completed the bird-like appearance.

Subaru narrowed his eyes. He didn't know who Cygnus was, but he had a pretty good idea _what_ he was. He needed to get away from this group so he could converse freely with Rock. His sneakers crunched the glass as he started running around the side of the building.

"Hey, where are you going," Gonta seemed to be the only one with enough presence of mind to ask what he was doing; hopefully he had enough to get the other teenagers out of danger as well.

Subaru didn't stop, but shouted over his shoulder, "To get help!"

Whatever Gonta's answer might have been, it was drowned out by the emergency sirens that suddenly wailed into life. Subaru used the distraction as cover to duck around a corner, pressing his back to the wall as he held his transer up.

"What's going on Rock?" he demanded, trying to keep his tone serious when he was still dealing with a racing heart from the surprise of being attacked.

"It's Cygnus, one of my ex-comrades sent to hunt me down."

"Okay," Subaru said quickly, "But that doesn't explain how he's visible. He's affecting the physical world!"

"He's figured out dempa-henkan it would seem. Don't tell me you didn't feel it back there, when you ran into that other human in the hall."

"Yeah, but why is he attacking AMAKEN then? Why would Utagai-san do that? He seemed more afraid than belligerent." He glanced back down at Rock to see an uncharacteristically uncomfortable look on his dragon-like face, "Warrock! What are you not telling me?"

"FMians… take over creatures that have a weakness inside of them, whether it is loneliness, trust, or a desire, and we can use it to manipulate that creature to a breaking point. It is then that we can fully merge and unconditionally control that creature. In this case, it is humans."

Subaru couldn't hold back the horror; it was plain on his face. Warrock looked away.

"Why didn't you tell me this before!?" Subaru exploded, "Does that mean that you've been _controlling _me all this time?"

"It seemed like it would be a sensitive topic." Warrock said mildly despite Subaru's death glare, "And contrary to your hasty conclusion, I have not been controlling you. I may have been able to do it at first, but I did not; now that you expect the transformation, I don't think I could control you even if I tried. Bringing down Cygnus is completely left up to you."

Despite is frustration with Rock's secrets, he was right. Cygnus had just become the more pressing matter. He was possessing a human, and, now it seemed he was endangering the scientists of AMAKEN. Subaru wasn't sure what the FMian's ultimate goal was, or how this destruction would help them find Warrock, but he had to do something.

Subaru took a deep, calming breath, letting it hiss through his teeth to ready himself.

"Okay, Rock, what do I have to do."

"In order to rend the dempa-henkan you need to break him down. EM beings need a certain threshold energy level to possess someone. After that, the two will separate. The human will go free, and Cygnus will probably run away. Without dempa-henkan, we are much weaker, especially on earth. To stop him completely, you will need to catch him annihilate every last shred of his dempa."

Subaru sucked in a breath at that, "Isn't that wrong?" he asked, his voice devoid of the emotions roiling inside him.

"It is what he wants to do to both me and you." Warrock said seriously, "Dempa-henkan is powerful because it is uncommon to find a human who will match to our wavelength. If he cannot catch me when we divide, he will come back and kill you so that I won't be as much of a threat."

"So either we win or be killed?"

"Exactly." Warrock's tone was grave, but Subaru had noticed over the past few weeks that the alien was accustomed to battle. Odds did not defeat him, only losing did.

Subaru closed his eyes and took a preparatory breath, "Ready?"

"Do you even have to ask." Warrock answered in a gleeful tone.

* * *

><p>Shirogane Luna:<p>

Luna desperately wanted to chew Subaru out for wrenching her arm like he had, but the twerp had managed to slip away yet again. Geez, he was really getting starting to annoy her. All things considered, he shouldn't be at the top of her list of worries while chaos reigned in the lab, but he was. When had her priorities gotten so rearranged?

"Prez!" Kizamaro yelled, panicked, "We need to get out of here!"

"Where'd he go?" she asked.

"Who? Subaru-kun? I don't know! But it's dangerous here, we need to leave!"

"C'mon Prez!" Gonta said gruffly, scooping her up and beginning to run. Kizamaro was right on his heels.

Smoke was billowing from the main building, alarms wailed throughout the complex, and employees were running haywire across the grounds. In the mess of it all, no one bothered to look up. It was only because of her position in Gonta's arms that she happened to spot a strange sight. It was a man, dressed in a costume of some sort, balanced precariously on the nose of an in-progress spacecraft.

"Who… what is that?" she muttered, pointing a shaking finger at the anomaly.

Gonta skidded to a stop, and Kizamaro turned his bespectacled eyes to the sight, just in time for the man to zero his yellow eyes on the threesome. The man – thing – glared, mouth pressed in a fierce frown.

"No one shall escape my just punishment!" he proclaimed, finally drawing the attention of the other scientists in the area. He flexed his wings downward, throwing scores of razor-sharp feathers at the front gates. Luna's group was unfortunate in their proximity; the resulting explosion threw Kizamaro off his feet. Only Gonta and Luna's combined weight kept them grounded. But the most detrimental effect of the attack was the fact that the front gates were now in smoking ruins.

"That," Kizamaro coughed beside Luna, standing slowly, "might take some time to get around."

"There must be another gate," Gonta growled.

"The fence goes around the entire complex," Luna whispered, "I don't know where the next closest exit is, and if we can even make it in time."

"Whoever this is, he's pretty aggressive," Kizamaro added quietly, "What is that anyway, some sort of combat suit?"

"He looks like an alien from a TV show I watched when I was younger." Gonta added.

"Not helping Gonta-kun." Kizamaro hissed.

"HUMAN'S," the thing yelled, "This is your rightful fate for being the lying, betraying pieces of filth that…"

A violet blast to the face cut him off mid rant.

"Now now," a new voice called, "Let's not get too cliché with the boring, evil monologues."

The threesome's heads whipped around so fast it nearly gave them whiplash. Only a few paces away from them – in all his odd spandex-armor glory – stood the stranger that had saved Luna a month earlier: Rockman.

The bird-man seemed to recognize him too, clenching his hands into claws as he hissed, "Warrock! So you _are_ here on this infested planet!"

"Actually, Cygnus," a deep, gravelly voice emanated from Rockman's visage but his lips didn't move, "This is Rockman. Pardon the bad name, but the kid isn't very creative."

"Shut up, you idiot." Luna saw Rockman grit out quietly.

"He's my ex-comrade," the voice came again, "I can say what I want."

_That's bizzare,_ Luna thought, _it's like there's a third party introducing them. But I don't see anyone else._

"Well then, _Rockman_," Cygnus strung out the name like a taunt, "Are you going to surrender to me? I think you know what I'm after."

"What are you –" Rockman began, but the voice cut him off.

"You can't just show up here and do whatever you want Cygnus! And I won't forgive someone who has turned on me. We will be the ones to send you home crying to Planet FM."

"You betrayed me, your clan, and your king! You have no ground to speak of loyalty or otherwise."

"Are we just going to stand here and talk," Rockman cut in, still speaking quietly, "I don't have all day."

"YES!" the disembodied voice agreed, "Enough talking, more fighting!"

To Luna, who had been avidly following the conversation, she noticed Rockman stumble on his first step as his left arm jerked him forward. Strange. But he caught himself and immediately surged forward, seeming to blur out of existence. Cygnus leaped off his perch, sending more exploding feathers at the hero before diving into the fight. Both moved so fast, her eyes could barely follow. Flashes of green, blue, and violet sprung from various weapons that materialized in Rockman's hands. Cygnus fought with dexterous movements, utilizing the reach his wings provided for him. Occasionally they blinked out of existence entirely, as if the fight was merely a mirage.

"Prez," Kizamaro had her wrist and was tugging her back as she was too riveted by the battle to move, "We need to go. Rockman bought us time, but we have to make use of it."

"Do you want me to pick her up again?" Gonta asked.

"It's fine Gonta-kun, we'll just do it this way."

They were running again, pulling a reluctant Luna along beside them, but the boys were still talking quietly.

"That conversation was odd, don't you think?" Kizamaro whispered between labored breaths.

"I still think they're aliens."

"We can't conclude that until further analysis of the facts we have."

"Whatever." Gonta eloquently deadpanned.

"Why are we leaving Rockman-sama to fight all by himself!" Luna suddenly interjected, "We need to help him."

"Did that look like the kind of fight we could help with?" Kizamaro answered, ever the logical one, "Besides, help is on the way. I can hear that the Satellite Police squad is nearly here."

"THEM!" Luna all but screeched, "They hate him. That inspector thinks Rockman-sama causes all the trouble! He's defending us."

"If you want to tell him that, be my guest, but not until after we get out of harm's way."

Luna scowled at Kizamaro. Though her head agreed with Kizamaro's judgment, her heart didn't. She wanted to _do _something, not just sit on the sidelines.

_Like him_.

She spotted Amachi-san in the distance, running in the wrong direction. He was returning to the main lab building, bypassing the security locks on the doors under the red warning lights. Luna took off, racing to grab the door before it could click shut behind the scientist.

"Prez, what are you doing?" Kizamaro and Gonta caught up to her, panting as the unexpected sprint added to their exertion.

"Let's go see if Amachi-san needs any help," she suggested, slipping through the door and expecting the boys to follow. They didn't disappoint.

The cool hallways were dark except for emergency lights; the explosions must have interfered with the main power sources. Other than the metronomic blaring of evacuation sirens and their footsteps, the halls were quiet.

"Which way did he go?" Gonta grumbled.

"He's faster than what his physique would suggest." Kizamaro grumbled, nervously pushing his glasses up his nose. "Prez, we really shouldn't be here."

Luna set off down the hallways, looking as confident as she didn't feel, "Don't they have a main control room that monitors all the activity in the labs? He probably went there. It'd be the best place to observe the situation." Kizamaro gulped loudly, but Gonta followed carelessly.

_Right then left, down the main corridor… _Luna recalled the layout of the lab; repeatedly trying to track Subaru down through these corridors proved to be good practice for the present circumstances. She managed to get them to their destination without a wrong turn.

Amachi was there among the monitors, brilliant, neon warnings flashing on nearly every one. _Something _seemed to be making the devices go ballistic, but as to what, Luna couldn't decipher.

"Amachi-san!"

The man in question jumped, placing a hand on his chest when he recognized the intruders.

"Luna-chan! What are you doing here? I thought everyone had been evacuated already." His focus was shifting between the group and the screens as if he had developed a sudden case of ADHD.

"We came to ask if you needed help with anything." She answered.

"No," he said shortly, returning his full attention to the digital read-out; his eyes glittered from the backlight, wide and absorbing every detail.

"Pardon me Amachi-san," Kizamaro interjected, "I realize this isn't the best time for a scholastic lesson, but what is going on?"

As if on cue, the main holographic screen sprung to life, reading OVERLOAD in scarlet capitals.

"Shoot," Amachi grumbled, typing full speed on his virtual keyboard before answering, "There are two, highly-dense masses of EM waves right here on the AMAKEN campus. They're only generating about a millionth of the energy we gather from the outer space source, but the close proximity is flooding the circuits. I'm currently trying to shut down the generators and 'blow off steam' in some of our less dangerous research labs."

"I…I see," Kizamaro stuttered, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Amachi was too busy to even shoo them out. After a minute, some of the warnings had died out, but chaos still reigned.

"Where did they come from?" Amachi muttered to himself, "And they're ambulatory, like the movement is independent."

"It could be the two alien-things fighting outside." Gonta explained.

Amachi only spared him one small glance before keying a command. The holo screen now displayed a myriad of security cameras and, after a second, he clicked one to magnify it in the main window.

"Rockman-sama!" Luna felt the name slip from her mouth of its own accord. The two… what-ever-they-were could now be at what might be called a stand still. Rockman's left hand had been replaced by a sizable cannon, pulsing with energy. It was leveled at Cygnus, who didn't seem to be doing anything to defend himself; but still, Rockman did not fire.

"What is he doing!" Gonta punched his fist in the air as if he was watching some exciting cartoon, "Shoot Rockman! Get that sucker!"

But Rockman didn't hear them… obviously. In a flash of light, Cygnus morphed, speeding in a blue beam towards a satellite tower and taking the vertical route from there.

Amachi's mouth was hanging open, his brain finally lagging behind his optical signals.

"Where did he go?" Kizamaro asked.

"Ran away," Gonta said with a _hmph_, "Cygnus the coward."

"No," Amachi said in a monotone voice, "That energy source jumped the EM wave. He's traveling towards AMAKEN's upper orbit satellite." That snapped him out of his revere, "What is going on!?" he yelled.

Luna took a step back; she'd never witnessed the scientist be anything more than friendly or focused. When he saw her confusion, he took a calming breath.

"W-well," she stammered, "We don't know who or what they are, but Rockman – the navy blue one – is a good guy. He's saved me twice now. Cygnus – the other – said he was going to destroy the lab because humans were…"

"Wait," Amachi cut her off, "He said 'humans', as if he wasn't one?"

"He also said something about 'Planet FM' and betrayal." Kizamaro added helpfully.

"Hey," Gonta asked, "Are they really aliens?"

Amachi gave them a wide-eyed, fearful glance. He seemed caught between understanding and disbelief, despite how far-fetched the story sounded.

"I…"

Whatever Amachi was going to say was cut off by another obnoxious warning light. The scientist regarded the news for barely a moment before all the color drained from his face.

"What is it Amachi-san?" Luna asked.

The genius swallowed, "This is really bad."

* * *

><p>Hoshikawa Subaru:<p>

"You're going easy on him Subaru! Why are you holding back?" Warrock's frustration permeated every syllable. Since the FMian couldn't fight himself, he wanted Subaru to make up for every ounce of his fervor; and well… Subaru really didn't have much of a fighting spirit.

Subaru grit his teeth, "Fighting him is different than just deleting a virus, Rock."

"If it's the human your worried about, you're not going to hurt him. In fact, the longer you wait, the deeper the possession will grow. Prolonged contact with his host will only increase his power and control over the individual until fission is permanent. All logic points to defeating him here and now – mercilessly."

"I know."

"Then chase after him!" Warrock demanded, pulling Subaru forward by his left arm… again. "He went up that waveroad, the one on the right."

Subaru regarded the path, tipping his head back till he couldn't see any father, "That one goes straight through the atmosphere…"

"Problem?" Warrock growled.

"Will it be okay?"

"I don't know," Warrock's sarcasm had been developing in leaps and jumps as of late, "Will it hurt if you pass through a building? Will it hurt if you travel at the speed of light? Will if hurt if you stop breathing during Denpa Henkan? Hmmmm… let's think about this."

Subaru scowled at the interface on his arm where Warrock's ruby eyes were glinting with mirth.

"In other words, I'll be fine."

"When you're composed of EM waves, you don't need an atmosphere."

"You could have just said that."

A sigh, "Where is the fun in that."

"You're an alien from a belligerent planet. You're not supposed to care about having fun." Subaru couldn't help but point out.

"Says who?" said alien tested.

"I'm ignoring you now," he opted for shifting his frequency and leaping up to the waveroad.

"It's because you don't have a good comeback." Warrock said smugly.

Riding the waveroads was always a rush. Weeks ago, he'd needed to go slow, unable to cope with the dizzying speeds. The sights would blur as his vision was unable to keep pace with his body. But after some practice, he could gauge the speed and timing he needed in order to get somewhere specific. Though he could move at light speed, it wasn't always beneficial. He'd learned that by accidentally over shooting his target by a few thousand miles on multiple occasions.

But this was easier. The satellite signal was a straightaway; and on top of that, he could feel Cygnus's signature waves – his Z-waves.

It took less than a second to arrive. Cygnus was waiting for him, riding the waveroad that gently revolved with the satellite's trajectory.

"Cygnus," Subaru called, "Surrender Utagai-san. You know I'm stronger than you."

"You were never very good in actual combat, Cygnus, you were a better tactician. You must have realized by now that you don't have the advantage." Warrock added.

Cygnus sneered, "You knew I favored more underhanded methods than a fair fight Warrock, then why didn't you realize that I also didn't come unprepared."

"What is he talking about?" Subaru whispered to Warrock.

"Dunno kid, but stay frosty."

"What?" Subaru felt his brow furrow in confusion.

"It's an expression. It means stay focused."

"Where did you hear that? Even I haven't heard that before and I'm…"

"I said stay focused, kid!" Warrock yelled.

"Well, you're not helping!" Subaru grouched right back.

"How cute," Cygnus purred at their squabbling, "Warrock, it seems rather inconvenient that the human that matches you wavelengths is not under your control."

"It's fine." Warrock growled.

"Well," Cygnus said in a sing-song voice, "I hope he doesn't live down near that lab."

"Why?" Subaru asked, a feeling of foreboding dragged his heart into his stomach.

Cygnus only smirked in response.

In the silence of space, no sound came as a warning. The satellite simply lurched, its course suddenly veering for the blue planet below.

It took a second for Subaru to guess the reason, "You engaged the space-side thrusters." He leveled a glare at the swan-like FMian.

He was examining nonexistent nails, "This human is quite smart. He knew exactly how to power the craft so it would fall _just right_. Too bad his talents don't include trusting people, or I never would have been able to exploit this splendid opportunity of destroying some of our enemies."

"Amachi-san holds Utagai in high regard," Subaru spat, "So don't go mocking him."

Cygnus froze, the fingers he'd been inspecting twitched. "Nothing you can say will change the way he feels." The bird-man rasped after a few seconds.

Catching on, Subaru pressed, "I think Utagai-san will be very happy at AMAKEN labs. He will have his chance to shine. And I will personally be there to cheer him on."

Cygnus's hands had moved to his head, his yellow eyes wide and unfocused, "SHUT UP!" he demanded.

"Now would be a good time, kid." Warrock suggested.

"Ya think?" Subaru murmured, summoning sword data. Green flames swarmed bout his left arm, leaving a glimmering blade in its place. Cygnus belatedly readied and attack, but Subaru struck first. Bending low into a dash, he brought his weapon up, slicing across Cygnus's chest in one swift movement.

The FMian screamed, curling in a ball to conceal the static that blurred his features. Once his hand had reverted, Subaru tackled the dempa-human, blending both their frequencies with the waveroad and riding it back down to earth. In the moment before impact, he turned them both tangible, where they slammed into the pavement beneath the transmission tower. The impact hit Cygnus full force while Subaru remained relatively unhurt from his position on top.

Now both visages of the man could be seen: the demon swan and the unsuspecting scientist.

"Come out!" Subaru growled, charging his basic blaster and releasing the shot, point blank.

With one last gut wrenching scream, cyan energy flowed away, taking the form of a fiery swan. Cygnus's true formed hovered beside the unconscious Utagai, but Subaru now had his blaster trained on the FMian. In this form, there was no hope for Cygnus to fight back – they both knew it.

"Tch, my plan is still in motion. These humans will still die. Let me save this one."

"That won't save Utagai," Subaru answered darkly, "Leave, or I _will_ kill you."

He didn't want to do it; killing a sentient creature seemed wrong in every respect. But he wasn't going to let Cygnus get close to this man. He had yet to keep his word: he promised to see Utagai shine.

After a moment's hesitation, Cygnus disappeared in a flash of light.

Subaru sighed in relief, but…

"There's still once small problem, kid." Warrock interjected.

"Yes, thank you Captain Obvious, I got it."

"Captain who?"

Subaru grinned, he had won this time.

* * *

><p>In a second Subaru was once again riding the satellite transmission; only this time he was backwards, sliding down to earth with the falling craft.<p>

The metal was heating, red hot from the friction of the air particles. Rattles and groans were now audible in the upper reaches of the atmosphere; the satellite wasn't designed for re-entry. Subaru estimated he had about five minutes to deal with it at this rate.

All the panic he should have been feeling was pushed to the side as he thought.

"Well, this is all up to you, kid." Warrock admitted unhelpfully, "space craft is not my area of expertise."

"Thanks, Rock."

"No problem."

"Sarcasm can still be lost on you," Subaru sighed.

He didn't think he had the power to push it back into orbit. Should he change the frequency? No, it was probably too big for that. Did he have enough weapons to destroy it? No, they most likely didn't have the penetrating power anyway. Each idea he came up with was immediately shot down by his own reasoning.

Don't panic. Don't panic.

He snapped his fingers. Jumping back, he let himself free fall at the same speed. Charging his blaster, he took aim.

"You know that won't do anything." Warrock muttered.

Subaru ignored him, letting loose the blast. It collided perfectly with the nearest connector for the wing of solar cells, causing the bracings to buckle and break. As a result, the satellite upended, tipping sideways. With more surface area exposed in a less aerodynamic fashion, it was only a matter of time before the wear and tear overexerted the machines durability.

Friction cause the steel to flake like dry skin, and Subaru entertained himself by firing his remaining weapons through the crevices as they appeared. Within a few minutes the entire craft had crumbled into smaller pieces that burned in the atmosphere. Only a few sections were large enough to make it to the surface, but due to decreased mass, the trajectory had changed significantly enough that they fell into the sea.

With a sigh of relief, Subaru gently landed on the asphalt of the AMAKEN grounds. Remaining invisible, he ascertained that someone had found Utagai beneath the radio tower. The satellite police had arrived and were scratching their heads at the absence of viruses. And the employees were bustling around to set things back into a state of order.

"Might as well go home and avoid this whole mess." Subaru muttered to himself.

"Might as well." Warrock repeated.

Subaru gave the alien on his wrist a half-hearted glare, "I have some questions for you though, and you're not off the hook until you explain them to me."

Warrock had the presence of mind to look sheepish, or as sheepish as a glowing, green dragon-alien can look.

Subaru sighed, "…Right after supper. I'm starved."

* * *

><p>Shirogane Luna:<p>

Amachi's knuckles were white as he clenched the desk. The countdown was irrevocably ticking downward, only three minutes left.

"Leave!" he commanded Luna and her group in the calmest voice he could muster.

"No." Luna deadpanned, folding her arms over her chest.

"No offence, Amachi-san, but it wouldn't do any good. We'd never escape the blast radius in time. We're dead either way." Kizamaro logically rationalized his rebellion.

Amachi closed his eyes, realizing the truth of those. Was this karma for not believing what Hoshikawa-senpai had reported about the EM ETs? Was he to lose his lab and his life in the same day for denying their existence?

"Hey," Gonta grabbed everyone's attention, "It's not on that curvy line anymore. What does that mean?"

Amachi's head snapped up, eyes tracking the readout. The timer clicked once more before breaking and zeroing out. The satellite had fallen short. The trajectory streams had split and landed fifty miles off target – in the ocean.

"Do we get to live?" Gonta asked, without the excitement that news should have merited. It was like he never realized – or thought – they were in danger.

"Rockman-sama!" Luna gushed, "He did it! He saved me again!"

Kizamaro pushed his glasses up his nose in relief.

Amachi had to sit on the floor. Saved. They'd been saved by an alien in spandex. His eyes drifted to the screens, and he noticed that 'Rockman' had returned. But right now, he really didn't care. He was alive.

Luna felt like preening. Her hero had saved the day again! She would have to make sure Amachi-san also put in a good word for Rockman-sama, after all, he had been a witness…

…which reminded her, "Amachi-san, why did you come back into the labs if you knew it was dangerous?"

The young scientist turned on her with nostalgic eyes, "Because this lab, AMAKEN, was founded, built, and nurtured by Hoshikawa Daigo-senpai himself. And he asked me to take care of things if anything happened to him. I promised him I would."

"I don't think he would want you to put your life in danger over it." Kizamaro muttered.

"It's my choice what I do," Amachi countered, getting to his feet with a grunt, "Now, if you kids are done risking your lives with me, I really need you all to head home. Your parents will be worried, and I've got a lot to do around here thanks to that Cygnus guy. So, shoo!"

As gently as possible, Amachi herded them out the door.

"Yes, good idea." Luna agreed, "We need to figure out where that idiot Hoshikawa-kun got off to after he ditched us."

"Alright Prez." Both boys muttered simultaneously.

Amachi closed the door behind them, but his hand remained resting on the handle.

_FMians, huh? It has a nice ring to it, Senpai._

* * *

><p><strong>Let me know what you think of this so far, and if you see any mistakes... I don't have an editor so it would be helpful if you point them out! :)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Hoshikawa Subaru:

Subaru sighed, leaning back in his desk chair. He had arrived home only a few minutes after the mayhem at AMAKEN and was therefore able to convince his mom that he had been en route when the attack started. She had seen some of the footage on TV, and had been worried sick. Upon his arrival she had nearly squeezed him to death in a python-like hug, then sat him down and served supper.

He felt bad for deceiving his mom, but eventually, he knew he would tell her everything. But until Warrock revealed everything, he didn't see the point in unnecessarily worrying her. And until today, he hadn't been in any great danger.

Now that he thought about the fight with Cygnus, the conversations were still weighing heavily on his mind. He needed Rock to fill in the blanks.

"Why didn't you tell me about the… possession thing?" he began bluntly. Even though Warrock had said he wasn't controlling Subaru, the concept still bothered him.

Warrock, who had lately been entertaining himself by camping out in various electronics in Subaru's room, had now made himself comfortable in the home screen of the desk computer.

The FMian shrugged, "I told you already: I thought it would make you uncomfortable."

"You never seem to care how 'comfortable' I am in any other situation." Subaru accused.

"I can't change what's been done, kid. It's in the past. Let it go."

Subaru scowled at that blasé attitude, "We're supposed to be partners! You shouldn't keep critical information from me."

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" Warrock shot right back, his scarlet eyes flared with truculence. The ferocious glare served to remind Subaru exactly what he was dealing with: a base, dangerous, lethal, alien entity. There was nothing keeping him from going ballistic, or even worse, leaving Subaru without the answers he was seeking.

"Don't act like a spoiled brat." Subaru answered tonelessly. Despite the FMian's sudden aggressiveness, the fact of the matter was: he trusted Warrock. That fact in itself was astounding considering that he was less prone to put his faith in people than he was to be social with them.

Warrock growled, turning away, but not bothering to make any further threats.

"My second question is about something Cygnus said. 'You know what I'm after,'" Subaru regarded the screen suspiciously, "What was that about?"

"That's none of your business."

"Yes, it is!" Subaru slammed his hands on his desk hard enough to shake the monitor, "It would explain why your ex-comrade traversed a section of the galaxy to come looking for you, because there's no logical reason for them to so relentlessly pursue a traitor. They want something – I don't know what – but I'm certain you have it."

"That's all you need to know." Warrock answered, irritatingly calm.

Subaru grit his teeth, anger rising, "'All I need to know,' huh? If we are putting people in danger how is that 'All I need to know'? Just tell me what's going on!"

"Subaru," Warrock actually used his name, "Calm down."

Subaru closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It wasn't like him to let himself get so agitated. He could count such occasions on one hand.

"Fine," he muttered.

"Good," Warrock grumbled, "I'm used to you being the composed one, not me. Now I'll tell you something you deserve to hear. It might not answer all your questions, but it might explain a few things.

You and I are not _putting _this planet in danger. The viruses you fight aren't all just program glitches like you thought. They're lower life forms from Planet FM. As soon as earth started utilizing my planet as a source for EM energy, a path was created – connecting them. But three years ago, someone tried to make contact with us FMians and not just as a power source; it was a message. Unfortunately, the signal was… misunderstood. As a result, a team from the most elite clan of warriors was sent to intercept the 'enemy.'

So you see," Warrock reiterated, "We aren't _putting_ earth in danger as you assume. Earth was already a target. We are defending it."

Speechless, Subaru took his visualizers off his head, running a hand through his spikey hair. The news was grave; he felt as if it was merely washing over him and not sinking in.

"Th-that seemed important," Subaru stuttered.

"I didn't want to overwhelm you. You had enough to deal with while learning Denpa-Henkan. Any more pressure would have been detrimental. But why do you think I dragged you into so many fights when you simply wanted to explore."

"I thought it was because you like wave-battling."

Warrock looked a shade sheepish, "W-well, there's that too. But I also wanted to prepare you for any future threats you might face from my kin."

Subaru narrowed his eyes, "That's awfully… _thoughtful_ of you."

"Is it," Warrock seemed uncomfortable, "If that's a bad thing, I blame you."

"No, no," Subaru amended quickly. It only took a moment for another question to start pestering him: "Cygnus. Is he gone?"

"For now. But it will be even easier to defeat him if he comes back. We already know who his host is and his tricks. He probably won't return."

"'Probably'?"

"You didn't kill him, so how can I say 'certainly'?" Warrock said sensibly.

"I didn't want to kill him."

"Which is something I may never understand about you." Warrock tone was dispassionate, "You were the victor. It was your right to eliminate your foe. But you gave up."

"That's not how it works here." Subaru mumbled.

"Whatever."

Subaru sighed, not in the mood to work past Warrock's deadpan. Instead, he opted for picking up his stylus, giving it a twirl before pulling up a window on his computer.

"What are you doing?" Warrock peeked over the browser.

"Homework."

"Kid, sometimes I swear you are the most boring creature on this planet. I don't think science can explain how you managed to be compatible with someone as cool as me. How the heck did I get stuck with you?"

Subaru's mouth quirked in a smile at Warrock's complaints. His lack of regular activity had become a frequent topic between them. As well as…

"School." Subaru cringed as the FMian muttered the taboo, "You should really go to that school place. I'm sure it's not so bad."

Subaru ignored him, which turned out to be the wrong decision.

"C'mon, kid!" Rock pressed, "You've fought swarms of viruses and now an alien. What's there to be scared of?"

"Nothing." He grumbled, trying to focus on his task.

"So why don't you go?"

"I don't want to go."

"Now who sounds like the spoiled brat?"

Subaru glared at the alien presently trying to push his homework off the main screen, vying for more space and attention, "The work isn't so bad. The problem is the people."

"I see." Warrock mocked.

"Rock," Subaru said, deceptively calm.

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

The ET's fangs were completely exposed, face split in a leering grin.

_Pre-calculus, pre-calculus. Think about pre-calculus. C'mon, it's not that hard!_ Subaru forced his brain to filter out the constant chatter coming from his computer speakers, courtesy of Rock. This, sad to say, proved to be his downfall.

* * *

><p>Shirogane Luna:<p>

Luna was exhausted.

It was as if Subaru had simply disappeared. They – Gonta, Kizamaro, and herself – had combed the AMAKEN grounds, looking for the guy, but not a trace of him had been found. Kizamaro had interrupted many a busy employee to ask of his whereabouts, but most of them claimed that they hadn't even seen him.

So now, nearly two hours later and seething with frustration, she was stomping across Kodoma Town to visit his house.

"That rat is awfully sneaky, Prez." Gonta observed. The bigger boy had stayed thickly cheerful despite the rising tension.

Kizamaro was more aware of the anger leaking off Luna's aura, "He said he was going to get help when he left. He probably did so before evacuating and going home. No one likes getting caught up in investigations, especially with the Satellite Police."

Luna was too steamed for words. Kizamaro's deduction may be a logical one, but she expected more out of Subaru. Why? Even she didn't know the answer to that. Maybe it was because AMAKEN was his dad's lab; Amachi-san had stayed despite the danger. She thought Subaru was more concerned about his own father's legacy than that. Was she expected to believe that he simply wimped out and went home?

The threesome marched down Hope Street, the pristine white house coming into view.

What was she going to say? This time she wasn't demanding that he attend school. She wanted answers from him. Where had he gone? Why did he leave? Didn't he care?

She was… disappointed in him.

Luna rapped on the door, trying not to vent her anger in that simple task. She didn't want Akane-san to think she was trying to break down the door. After a moment, the woman in question arrived, garbed in an apron and drying her hands on a towel.

"Oh, Luna-chan," Akane's friendly smile was warm, "What can I do for you?"

_As if she didn't already know_. "Is Hoshikawa-kun here?"

"Yes, he's up in his room. Would you like to go check on him?"

_She's letting me in?! Okay, don't panic. Don't panic! _"Sure!" Luna bowed, "Thank you!"

The woman held the door for them, a gesture of invitation. The three shuffled in, removing their shoes and muttering muffled thank-you's. Luna thought her eyes might be deceiving her, because as she passed, she thought se saw Akane's lips curl into what seemed to be a triumphant smirk.

"Right this way."

Luna felt her eyes growing hyperactive as they scanned the house. The layout was simple, the furniture modern, and above all, it was spotless. Only the kitchen seemed to be in a state of mild disarray from a recent meal, so it seemed as if they had interrupted Akane in her dishwashing.

Akane set her towel down on the counter, pointing at a set of double doors, "If you go right through there and up the set of steps, Subaru's room is the first door on the right." She gave them a mischievous smile, "Good luck!"

Luna nodded as Akane went back to her task. The woman could be just as strange as her son, but in her own way. Hesitantly, she followed the directions given to her, silently mounting the stairs. The boys caught on, remaining quiet.

She still hadn't decided what she was going to say, having not expected to even get this far. But those thoughts evaporated when she reached the door.

It was shut, but upon leaning closer, she heard a voice coming from within. Only it wasn't Subaru's low, controlled tones. It was a deeper, gruff sounding voice…

"Gah! This is so boring. You do this every evening! We could be out having fun, busting viruses. But no, you've locked yourself in your room… AGAIN…"

Whoever it was, they were on a roll. Going on and on, tossing insults at Subaru (who was apparently present, but not talking), complaining about being bored (repeatedly), and simply chattering relentlessly.

"Oooooo! Now you're doing that stuff again. I thought you used numbers in mathematics. What are the letters and words for? Cosine, what does that mean? Do you think your mom needs help in the kitchen? We could go down and help her. I love messing around in those machines!"

Luna wasn't sure what to do. How could Subaru ignore someone so eas…

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP!"

She jumped, not prepared for the sudden shout. Her eyes were wide. Every time she'd cornered the guy, Subaru had never raised his voice before, even when she'd made him mad.

"Su!" Akane called up the stairs, "No yelling like that in my house."

"Yes mom!" Subaru called, but it sounds like he barely forced the words out from between his teeth.

It was silent for a beat, but it was the only opening Luna had received yet, so she made full use of it. Clearing her throat loudly, she proceeded to knock on the door three times. The silence from the other end of the door was deafening.

Soft footfalls approached, and Subaru opened the door slowly, as if he was dreading what he was expecting. Yep… that look of irritation flickered clearly across his features before being schooled into a more neutral mask. She regarded him from head to toe.

His head was devoid of his funky, green glasses for once; traditional, red jacket also missing. In just a simple white t-shirt and wrinkled blue jeans, he looked about as normal as guys could come. She peeked over his shoulder, scanning the room for other occupants.

Upon seeing that movement, Subaru narrowed the entry way and stood in the opening, "What do you want Shirogane-san?" he asked tonelessly.

"I thought I heard someone else in the room with you." Was the first thing out of her mouth.

While she was internally slapping herself for being so tactless, she noted Subaru's expression remained nonplussed.

"I'm the only one."

"I heard someone too, Subaru-san." Kizamaro contradicted, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Subaru glanced over his shoulder surreptitiously before opening the door a bit wider and repeating, "There's no one here but me."

Subaru's personal space was unusually tidy for a male. Nothing was left strewn across the floor and everything on his desk was neatly arranged. The evening sun streamed through the skylights on the ceiling, lighting the posters on the walls depicting galaxies and nebulae, rockets and designs.

"Maybe you were on a call with someone," Kizamaro suggested as Luna completed her inspection.

"I was doing homework, actually." Subaru corrected, gesturing to his computer and tablet.

Luna narrowed her eyes at him, "Really, you expect us to buy that? 'You're just hearing things.'" She made air quotes and said the last part in a poor imitation of Subaru's voice.

His brown eyes were unreadable, but he simply shrugged. Luna felt like stomping her foot. This guy was impossible!

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"Where did you go after you ran off at the lab?" Luna immediately responded. Throwing out the question she'd come to ask in the first place.

"I went to get help, and then I went home. It seemed dangerous to stay. Why? Did you decide to hang around while things were blowing up? That seems like a bad idea, Shirogane-san." He was so matter-of-fact it only served to incite her further.

"So you didn't see the Cygnus guy?" Kizamaro asked.

Subaru looked confused, "Cygo-what now?"

"Some sort of alien thing!" Gonta cut in.

"It wasn't an alien Gonta-kun!" Kizamaro groaned, slapping his own forehead in embarrassment for his peer.

Subaru raised and enquiring eyebrow.

"There was a man in some sort of… costume," Luna explained, "He was the one wreaking havoc at AMAKEN. Things were looking bad there for a while. Cygnus had some unusual abilities. A satellite almost fell out of orbit and was going to land on Kodoma Town. But Rockman-sama showed up and stopped him though."

"Excuse me, who?"

"Rockman-sama," She repeated, enunciating each syllable as if he were stupid, "He's a hero with super cool powers! He was the one who saved me last month during the monorail fiasco."

Subaru looked uncomfortable as Luna felt herself enter fangirl mode, stars positively glittering in her eyes. "I saw that on TV," he said uncertainly, "But I didn't know you were there."

Luna _hmphed,_ "You would have known if you bothered to come to school and interact with your peers!"

"I'm sure that 'interacting with my peers' is extremely beneficial, academically speaking." He said with a roll of his eyes. "Now, was inquiring about my whereabouts the only reason you came to bug me, or was there something else you needed?"

"I… I guess that was all," Luna muttered, uncharacteristically unsure of herself. She pushed the feeling down, sounding perky, "We'll be here bright and early to pick you up for school!"

An indistinct chuckled floated from the back of the room. Subaru's chocolate eyes flashed as he threw a glare at the empty room.

"Well then," he said clearly, "I'll make sure to make myself scarce, as I have no intentions of going to school tomorrow or anytime soon."

Luna frowned, sensing that those words were not solely for her benefit, "You're acting strange, Hoshikawa-kun."

"You don't know me, so I don't think you can be an accurate judge of my behavior, Shirogane-san. Have a good evening." He shut the door with finality.

_How rude! _Luna wanted to kick the door in frustration, "Soon," she settled for mumbling to herself, "I will get you very, very soon, Hoshikawa-kun."

"Let's go," she said to the boys, "We still have homework to do tonight, and we will be up early. I want you both to be at our usual meeting place, fifteen minutes early."

"Yes, Prez." They answered with a sigh. But they didn't argue.

"See you kids in the morning," Akane called as they excused themselves. Luna couldn't help but smile at that; she was so close to winning this battle, she knew it.

* * *

><p>Subaru had remained true to his word. The next few mornings Akane had greeted them at the door with a sad expression and a shake of her head.<p>

"He's not here. Su woke up early again to go to AMAKEN; says he's helping with the repairs there. He didn't even let me make him breakfast this morning," the woman was genuinely upset, "I don't think he's been sleeping well either. I'm getting worried about him."

It didn't matter how early they came to intercept him, Subaru was always gone. One morning they had trekked over to AMAKEN to try and catch him there, but his lab was vacant and none of the employees said they had seen him. It was almost as if he had developed the ability to vanish into thin air. With nowhere else to search, they started off to school.

"This is pointless, Prez." Kizamaro finally complained, "He obviously doesn't want to come with us, and we've been wasting a lot of time and energy on him."

Gonta held his stomach, "My breakfast time has been cut in half!"

"But we're so close," Luna whined, "I can feel it."

"Prez," Kizamaro strove to sound logical, "We haven't even seen him in four days. And to top it off, with him avoiding us like this, we're making his mom worry."

Luna clenched shaking hands and screamed at the sky, "Ugh! I hate that boy!"

As if in response, a streetlight beside her shattered. An inordinate amount of smoke billowed from the break and electricity webbed its way across the metal. The LED's were flickering and shorting.

"Viruses!" Kizamaro deduced, "Hang on, I might have some weapon cards in here." He started shuffling through his pockets.

A flash of green light cut off his search. Like some sort of science fiction novel, Rockman appeared as if he had been breamed down. The morning light glared off his red visor, obscuring his eyes.

"Two hotroaders and a cannonbase." He analyzed. Luna barely recognized the virus names.

"Rockman-sama!" She squealed, hearts in her eyes.

_That _drew his attention; before, he hadn't even acknowledged their presence, and that just wouldn't do. He turned his head, an indiscernible twitch of his lips giving nothing away, "Can I help you?" his voice was low and quiet – not heroic sounding at all.

"Yes!" Luna bounded up to him, wrapping both arms around his waist, "Stay with me!"

She thought she heard Kizamaro and Gonta fall over in embarrassment, but alas, they just didn't understand hormones or hero worship.

Rockman was tense beneath her embrace, but he was solid – not a program, not an alien, and absolutely not a figment of her imagination. She hadn't been this close to him since he had caught her from falling, but she felt like she could stay this way forever.

But it would seem that he didn't agree.

"Uh," his voice was uncertain, "Pardon me." He pried an arm from beneath Luna's grasp, laying it on the console of the broken traffic light before muttering 'wave in.' One second she was holding him, and the next she was falling over. She had barely caught what happened: his body swirled with a multicolored light effect, till only his outline was recognizable. And in the blink of an eye, that was erased as well.

The threesome was stunned, simply staring at the spot where the hero used to be.

"The light's working again," Gonta was the first to notice a few seconds later. Despite the broken glass, the lights were once again buzzing with electricity.

"So… he fixed it?" Luna asked.

Kizamaro pushed his glasses up his nose, "No, he deleted the virus in the machine."

"So," Gonta was scratching his head, "Is Rockman one of those virus hunters they talk about in the papers?"

"Not exactly, I would guess. I think there's more to it than that." Kizamaro paused, "WAIT! Gonta-kun, since when do you read the paper?!"

The beefy boy shrugged, "I read the _comics. _My dad actually reads the paper. But we do it together, so sometimes he tells me stuff."

"But how did he disappear!" Luna demanded – wasn't that the most important thing? "How did he escaped me?!"

Kizamaro looked uncomfortable with Luna's obsession, but factually said: "It _should _be impossible. But so are some of the other things Rockman's done."

Luna straightened, starting off in the direction of school once more, "Kizamaro." She said as they caught up, "I want you to look into this."

"Into what?"

"I don't know! Disappearing tricks!" she felt like screeching.

"Prez," he sighed, "That's a little… ridiculous."

Luna ignored the comment, "Nevermind then. We've got enough on our plate for now."

_Rockman-sama, I will find you! I swear on my political candidacy._

* * *

><p>She found it hard to focus on school. Between Rockman's sudden appearancedisappearances and the case of the elusive Hoshikawa Subaru, she felt like she was failing left and right these days. Nothing was going her way, and elections were less than a month away. She couldn't keep up with this bad luck streak!

She dragged Kizamaro and Gonta with her to AMAKEN after school again, but still, they hadn't seen hide or hair of the brunette ninja. Returning home to an empty house didn't life her spirits either; both her parents would be gone for the next two weeks on whatever trips they had. When the butler asked what she wanted for supper, she'd requested a 'disappointment sandwich' over the top of the teen magazine she'd been reading.

To top it off, sleep escaped her as well. She tossed and turned, worrying about this and that. When she did drift off, it was into a nightmare where the principal told her that a write in candidate had been unanimously selected for president: Hoshikawa Subaru. She woke to a muddled mess, her limbs twisted in her sheets as she tried to calm her heart rate.

Rolling over, she grabbed her transer console, squinting when she opened it and it blinded her. Four seventeen AM: this was not going to work. She got up, throwing a bathrobe on over her night gown. The staff wouldn't arrive until six. Avery, the maid, had once teased her that she was such a bad cook she could burn water. Luna had snapped back, saying that water _boiled_, and she could manage that just fine thank-you-very-much.

Boiled water: that's all you needed for a hot chocolate. Maybe that would help. It had been a stressful week after all. Campaigning while at school, homework while at home, and the attack on the lab was more than enough worry for one person. She felt no one could begrudge her for indulging a little.

The minutes ticked by so slowly. Nursing her mug of liquid heaven at the kitchen counter, she felt entranced by the digital readout on the stove. Four thirty-five, four thirty-six… only three hours till she had to be at school. Gah!

She moped around the house. She tinkered on her piano for a while. She dressed, did her hair, and did her makeup. Finally she let herself check the time again: five fifty-seven.

The lock on the back door jiggled, keys jingling as Avery let herself in. Luna practically sprinted up to her.

"Luna-chan! What are you doing up so early?" Avery was petite and pretty. Her slanted eyes were a deep indigo that often appeared black, matching her short, shiny, black hair. She was only in her mid-twenties, but she was the best maid Luna's parents had ever hired. Serious and detail oriented, but with a sharp wit that surpassed her cleaning skills. Her uniform was immaculate as ever, but a perplexed expression decorated her face.

"I couldn't sleep," Luna said breathlessly, excited at the prospect of finally conversing with someone.

Avery smiled, "You need a lonely-person cat, what with your parents always leaving you behind like this. Why couldn't you sleep?"

They talked as they walked, Avery not wasting time merely standing in the door.

"I had a nightmare I guess." Luna smoothed it over with a smile, "But I think it's just stress. Nothing to worry about!"

Avery frowned a little, eyes thoughtful, "You have been really busy lately. What's going on?"

So Luna told her everything. She chattered endlessly as they arrived in the kitchen and Avery pulled the necessary utensils from cabinets for making breakfast. Luna didn't stop talking until Avery set a steaming plate in front of her and she tucked in. After being up for hours, she was _hungry._

"I see why you couldn't sleep," Avery said professionally, starting on the dishes, "Next time try having some tea before bed. No caffeine, obviously, it will help calm your nerves."

"Thanks." Luna glanced at the clock again: six forty-five. "I better get going."

"Now?" Avery glanced at the clock as well, "You don't even need to be at school for another hour!"

"Gotta catch Subaru-san. Today's the day! I just know it!"

Avery offered an amused smile, "I'm glad you can stay optimistic despite the opposition, Luna-chan."

Luna slid off her chair, grabbing her bag on the way out the door. "Have a good day, Avery!"

"Will do," she called back.

She wasn't even going to wait for Gonta and Kizamaro this time. Maybe a solo mission would be more successful.

Subaru's house wasn't far from hers; she was there within minutes, preparing to knock on the door. She had considered stopping this futile effort after today; it had been over a month and she didn't seem any closer to her goal. But the part of her that hated loosing screamed NO to that. she wouldn't let him be the victor.

She took a deep breath and went to knock on the door…

…But it opened before her hand even had the chance to come in contact with the wood.

"I'm off." Subaru's voice was monotone. He completely ignored her, gripping the shoulder straps of his back pack with both hands as he walked past. He looked like death: dark bags under his eyes, shoulders hunched in exhaustion, and a forceful character to his step. It was like he was fighting the horror of what he was doing by simply blocking out everything around him.

_He's going to school!?_

Luna's brain could hardly process the sight. She was aghast, frozen to her spot on the front step even as Akane approached. The woman watched her son's back as it shrunk in the distance, "I don't know what came over him," she said with bemused satisfaction, "He suddenly said he wanted to go to school this morning."

"WHAT!?" Luna couldn't bite back the enraged scream no matter how hard she tried. Akane didn't even jump, like she had been expecting it.

"I know," She replied calmly, as if Luna had merely whispered the word, "I honestly did not see it coming. But I can't say I'm disappointed."

Luna had finally gotten her wits back, but she was still screaming, "HE COULD HAVE AT LEAST COME BACK TO SCHOOL WITH ME!"

* * *

><p>Hoshikawa Subaru:<p>

_I can't believe I caved… I can't believe I'm doing this._ Subaru dragged his feet on the sidewalk, loathing every step he took. How had it come to this?

Oh yeah, nearly five days of non-stop pestering, day in and day out. Warrock didn't need to sleep, and he had made full use of that in his quest to convince Subaru to go back to school. Only when he'd gotten really tired had he been able to sleep through most of the racket, and even then it was only for a few hours.

"I was testing your endurance," Warrock said smugly, "to see how long you'd hold out."

"No," Subaru contradicted, muttering to the FMian currently snuggled in the transer on his arm, "You were annoying me, plain and simple."

"Hmph. See it how you will."

"You've seen the school from the waveroad. We've passed over it about a billion times."

"Think of this as a lesson in earthling culture. Don't young people spend eight hours a day for thirteen years of their life in this place?" Oh, the alien was ignorant.

Subaru groaned, "Don't remind me! Why do you think I've been avoiding it?"

Warrock shrugged, "Because you're astoundingly antisocial for a human."

"How would you know," Subaru shot back, "I'm the only human you know. You have no one to compare me to!"

"I watch TV with your mom."

Subaru didn't pursue that topic any further. His mom watched soap operas, nuff said.

He passed through the front gates, actually breathing a sigh of relief. He'd thought Luna would follow him and rub her 'victory' in his face the whole way. Although, if that had happened, he definitely wouldn't have made it this far – darn!

A little bit of paperwork in the office later and he was settling in, throwing his books in the locker he'd been assigned despite his ill attendance. The halls were still empty this early in the morning, but that was fine with him; he still needed to find his way around. The secretary had downloaded a map for him along with his schedule, so it shouldn't be that difficult.

He'd only actually been to the high school once before, for an orientation a few years back when the teachers had wanted to make middle schoolers think about their future. It had seemed massive then; still did.

"Oooooo!" Warrock exclaimed, "This place seems cool!"

"Just you wait," Subaru muttered under his breath. A little louder he added, "Now that I've brought you here, do you promise to stay quiet? I don't want to deal with the consequences of you opening your big mouth during class."

"Whatever you say, kid."

Subaru didn't argue, but he didn't believe it either. He did a quick trial run of his schedule, finding all his classes so it would be easier when the time came before returning to his homeroom. Collapsing in his desk felt nice. He was so tired he doubted he would mind sitting there for the next eight hours.

The room gradually filled with students, and the staring Subaru had predicted and dreaded began. Some of them must have recognized him from middle school, because they were practically ogling him, others just looked confused.

"Do we have a new student?" someone whispered.

"I don't know! He's sitting in that desk that's been open all year."

"What's with those shades?"

Subaru frowned, but kept his eyes forward. Luna and her lackeys arrived soon enough, surprisingly _not _early. Since they had come by his house every morning, he'd always assumed they would be.

"Hoshikawa-kun!" He glanced up at the class president. Her smile was so bright it practically blinded him. _It's too early for this_, he grumbled to himself.

"You came to school!" she was practically in raptures at her apparent success.

Subaru wanted to say, 'thank you captain obvious,' but a wide yawn cut him off.

"Alright class," the teacher had arrived, commanding order in the classroom, "As you might have noticed, our classmate – Hoshikawa Subaru-san – has rejoined us. I trust you all will give him a warm welcome. Shirogane-chan, if he needs any help, that will be left up to you!"

"Yes ma'am!" Luna chirped, exchanging winks with the woman.

Subaru internally groaned, sliding deeper into his seat. This did not bode well for him.

And with that, school began. It was exactly as he remembered it: lesson after less of standard education. Most of the information would never be relevant in their future careers, but by all things sacred it was 'important' now! He remembered when he started doing research with his dad, and he'd had to learn a lot of basic information on matter and motion. If those things were on the forefront of science and discovery, why weren't they being taught in schools?

"Ah, boring!"

Subaru slapped the flapping transer lid shut. "Shhhhh!" he hissed at Warrock.

He knew this was coming.

Only a few minutes passed before: "So boring!"

"Shhhhh!" Subaru shushed again, getting a few odd looks from students sitting nearby. Great! He'd be labeled as the newbie and the crazy before the day was out.

"Is boring what school is about?" Warrock didn't even bother lowering his voice. And now his spectators were more than just a few.

"You promised!" Subaru whined quietly to the FMian.

"Yeah, but _this _is not what I was expecting."

"Hoshikawa-san." The teacher snapped, snapping Subaru to attention.

"Yes?"

"If you have a conversation that is that important, please take it outside. You are disrupting the class, and I am not hesitant to give you a detention on your first day."

"Yes ma'am."

"I'm outta here!" in a crackle of static, Warrock disappeared.

Subaru sighed, slouching in his seat as the teacher resumed her lecture. Ugh, he wished he could disappear into the waveworld too. This was unfair! Warrock was the one who made him come, he should have to suffer with him.

He entertained himself by slipping his visualizers on, trying to memorize the waveroads within the school in case it ever came in handy. After that he fiddled with his transer. He didn't wear it much because it was blocky and uncomfortable; most of the time he just opted for carrying the interface around. He wasted time sorting through his weapon cards, even though he already had them memorized like the back of his hand.

Luna had been tossing him meaningful glares: _pay attention_. But every time he honestly tried, he got an earful of: 'an antecedent is a noun, noun phrase, or clause to which an anaphor refers in a coreference. For example, in the passage "I did not see Anjan ..."'

_I think my brain's going to melt!_ He barely stifled another yawn. Too bad he wasn't one of those people that could fall asleep anywhere. Damn the consequences! A cat nap right here would be heaven.

A bell rang, and though Subaru wasn't sure what it meant at this point, he dashed out of the room. He'd already planned his escape route. Two flights of stairs and a successfully hacked emergency door later and he was standing in the roof courtyard, gasping the fresh air.

"What was I thinking," he moaned to himself, "I can't do this!"

He walked over to the chain-link fence, pulling down his visualizers and threading his fingers through the cool steel. The full spectrum of colors of the waveworld came into clear view; it hung pristine yet hectic, suspended in midair.

"Where'd you go, Rock?" he muttered to himself.

"Hoshikawa-kun," the unwelcome sound of Luna's voice filled the rooftop. Subaru sagged. "I thought I might you up here. You do realize there are doors to the roof that don't necessitate bypassing security measures."

Subaru ignored them until he heard the thump of something heavy land beside him. He glanced up to see Gonta giving him a hateful glare, brushing his hands together after relieving them of a heavy load: a stack of notebooks about a yard tall.

"What is this?" he asked, pushing his glasses up on his head.

"All the class notes since the first day of high school." Luna said imperiously, "I noticed that your grades are lagging and thought: 'who better to tutor Hoshikawa-kun than the one who convinced him to come to school.' I see it as my duty."

"No offense," _despite the fact that you're the one offending me, _"But I do just fine."

Kizamaro was in his face this time, pushing his glasses up his nose, "You marks are no more than average, Hoshikawa-kun. I would have thought someone like you would do better."

Subaru rolled his eyes, "If all the subjects were astronomy, physics, and calculus, I'd be the perfect student." Gonta's level glare only intensified as Subaru continued, "Despite that, I think I'll do fine on my own."

He went to leave, attempting to brush past the group and leave it at that, but rough hands grabbed him from behind. His arms were in a lock, head bent forward from the pressure before he even realized what happened.

"You shouldn't disrespect the class Prez like that, runt." Gonta growled angrily.

Subaru felt like he hadn't given the big boy enough credit. He was strong and fast when he wanted to be, not to mention extremely protective of his friends. It was commendable, but Subaru _really _didn't appreciate it at the moment.

"Fine." He amended, "Sorry Shirogane-san, but I'll take my own notes."

The grip only tightened, "Why are you turning her down when she's offering to help you?"

"Because I'd rather not be indebted to her, or anyone for that matter."

"What do you have against people, Hoshikawa-kun?" Luna tilted her head to the side, curious.

"Nothing." He grit out.

"Why do you act like you hate us?" Kizamaro added.

"I don't hate you," Subaru struggled to remain calm, "You just annoy me. Now will you let go!?"

"Gonta." Luna simply spoke his name and the cow finally backed down.

Subaru rotated his shoulder, "Geez, if that's all it took, why didn't you do it sooner."

Luna shrugged, as if the thought hadn't occurred to her; but her smirk betrayed her, "I can never get you to stand still when I'm asking questions."

"Go bother someone else." He spat, turning to leave… again.

This time Luna grabbed his hand, "Oh no!" she said in response to his growl of frustration, "I think you'll like what I have to show you. You haven't been here in a while, correct? I think you'll be excited to see the renovations they've made to the campus."

He didn't rise to the bait and ask, but she answered anyway.

"C'mon space boy," Luna said with a genuine smile. Subaru would be lying if he said it wasn't pretty, "I know you'll want to see the observatory and the planetarium."

He let her drag him along after that.

* * *

><p>Shirogane Luna:<p>

_You bet I still had an ace up my sleeve, _Luna thought, dancing a jig on the inside when Subaru finally gave in. She'd recalled how his room had more than just galactic posters; there had been one of those globes that displayed constellations instead of countries, a telescope, and a scaled model of the solar system. He would be putty in her hands if she played her cards right, and she had.

Though what had made him come to school in the first place still baffled her, but it was her intent to keep him there. She still had his hand, but he was coming along much easier now, any resistance he made was merely for show. She wouldn't regret giving up her lunch period for this.

Gonta, on the other hand, would. She wasn't blind to the fact that he was being much rougher in his methods than usual. Gonta was a very helpful ally, Luna knew, but sometimes his fervor took him too far. He saw his role as protector of the group.

But Subaru wasn't a part of the group, and Gonta had gotten into his thick head somehow that the newcomer was a threat. He seemed to resent that Luna had invested so much time in the anti-social boy, and he wasn't one to hide his feelings. It was obvious Gonta hated Subaru.

_Let him simmer,_ Luna thought to herself, _he'll get over it_. She already had her hands full. With Subaru in tow, she left the other boys behind. Tact was better employed in a one-on-one situation.

She buzzed Subaru and herself into the observatory first. Though there was little to do during the daytime, she wanted to give him a taste.

"We have these at AMAKEN," Luna heard him mumble, "But the other researchers use them almost constantly." Her heart soared.

"Well, not many of the students use them here, so they're usually open. You can use them any time you want!" She said brightly.

He gave her a look as if to say 'oh I will.'

"It's sizable for a high school." he appraised, his voice echoing through the dome.

Luna smiled, "I have nothing to compare it to, so I wouldn't know."

"Do you know how to use it?" he asked honestly, brown eyes glinting in the semi-darkness.

"Only a little," Luna admitted with a shake of her head, smile still in place, "But I'll make sure to bug someone else to teach me the finer points of telescopic usage."

Subaru frowned, but didn't say anything.

"Let's go check out the planetarium before the lunch period ends."

He nodded, following without her guidance, "May I ask what changed your mind about coming to school?" she inquired as they walked.

Subaru didn't meet her gaze, finding the wall considerably more interesting, "I guess it's been a while since I've come; wanted to see if it was any different."

"And?"

"It isn't." he answered with a small twitch of his lips. It could almost qualify as a smile from him in Luna's book. But she still knew he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"May I ask why you are so tired, Hoshikawa-kun?"

"Um… couldn't sleep?" he didn't sound sure of himself. So a half-truth then.

"May I ask what that racket you were making in class might have been?"

"It was none of your business."

Well, she'd tried. Not that she expected much.

"Here we are!" it was dark in the planetarium, but Luna immediately started the system. Planets and stars glowed into existence. "You can simulate all sorts of things with the database. A super nova for example…" she keyed in the commands. Super nova, however, was the limit of her interstellar vocabulary.

Subaru didn't say anything, but she could tell he was soaking it up.

"I would offer to show you around the other parts of the school, Hoshikawa-kun, but I imagine it wouldn't interest you much."

"Catch on quick?" he teased dryly.

Luna felt her lips press together, trying to choke back the words she wanted to say. She wasn't going to sink to his level and be just as rude. _Always maintain higher ground; be better than them._

"Lunch is almost over, but if you like, you could join Gonta, Kizamaro, and I after school. It's nice enough outside to do homework in the park, otherwise we meet in the school library."

"No thanks," he predictably replied, "I'm going somewhere after school."

"Where?" it slipped out on reflex; she didn't expect him to tell her anything.

But he hesitated, shot her an unreadable look over his shoulder, and then said slowly, "The hospital. I'm going to visit a researcher that was injured during the attack on AMAKEN."

_This is coming from the person who ran away during said attack_, she thought bitterly. But she'd never thought Subaru was someone to go out of his way for others. This was… interesting.

"We'll come with you." She knew it was best to be straightforward with these kinds of things, "After all, we were there too."

Subaru didn't mask the surprise in his eyes, but he didn't argue either. It was new, yet refreshing.

She didn't interrupt as he started to tinker around with the other functions in the system. She'd made a lot of progress today; she didn't want to push her luck any further and lose it all. For the moment, she just let him do what he wanted. He expertly manipulated his transer, even though this was the first time she'd seen him wearing it.

Despite the fact that she was growing very bored, she stayed with him. She was afraid if she left, he wouldn't show up for the rest of class. So she kept a close eye on him, studying how his fingers hovered over various simulations: the theory of relativity, intergalactic gravitational affects, black holes, star condensation, and spatial EM activity. It was all way over her head, but it said a lot about Subaru.

He always tried to appear flat and uninteresting, but the more Luna learned about Subaru, she found him to be an extremely multi-faceted person (perhaps that was going a bit too far…). The way he kept everything bottled up was unhealthy.

_He needs friends._

The thought leapt unbidden to her mind. True, Luna had wanted to be the one to escort Subaru to school, but she hadn't actually considered forming a close relationship with him. But the realization wouldn't leave her alone. And Subaru wasn't likely to come to _that_ conclusion himself. The task was left to her.

A small sigh escaped her, but it was accompanied by small smile too. Helping Subaru to fit in would be a difficult, but it can be said that Shirogane Luna never backed down from a challenge.

When it was about time for lunch to end, she grabbed the back of his red jacket, giving it a little jerk. He jumped a little before turning around, his eyes glazed as if he'd forgotten she was there. It caught Luna off guard too; his stare was usually sharp and icy. Right now he just looked like a lost puppy, brown irises begging for another minute.

"Class is starting soon," She praised God that that giggle hadn't escaped her.

"Oh." He said without enthusiasm. Very reluctantly, he closed his transer and gave the planetarium one last longing look before trudging after her out the door.

"You _can _come back you know." She said with a grin.

He didn't say anything, still sulking. Luna took a deep breath, simply putting the whole predicament behind her. If she thought about it, she was sure she'd bust up laughing.

"So," Luna clapped her hands together, "We'll all meet outside the front gate to go to the hospital after school. Sound good?"

When Subaru nodded without saying anything, Luna felt like the victor of a long, bloody war.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I am really proud of this chapter despite the fact I didn't get as far as I wanted. I wanted to at least begin the fight with Taurus and leave it as a cliff-hanger, but I couldn't get the words out around what I had planned. The reason I'm proud is that I feel like a lot of good foundation and character development happened. I also threw in an OC (which was totally on the spot) because I felt so bad for Luna alone in that big house. Avery is sorta inspired by the fact I am currently reading 'The Help' which is awesome so far. Again, please let me know if you spot any grammar or spelling errors. Sorry if this seemed like filler! Thanks for reading!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Hoshikawa Subaru:

Subaru was still tired, but anxious excitement was fueling him on at the prospect of visiting Utagai-san. He wanted to befriend the scientist, not only because the man seemed lonely, but because it was also the best way to guard against the return of Cygnus. Though Warrock hadn't said so outright, he knew that the happier people were, the less susceptible to possession they would be.

Maybe it sounded bad: having dual motivation. But no one needed to know.

He glanced at his transer again, ignoring the curious look Luna shot his way. Warrock still hadn't returned. The alien should be able to find him anywhere; locating Subaru's wavelength should be as easy as counting to three for the ET. It was making Subaru nervous because Rock had never been gone this long before.

"Are you expecting a call or message, Hoshikawa-kun?" Luna asked, leaning into his personal space, olive-green eyes shimmering with curiosity. He hated it when she did that.

"No." he deadpanned, clicking his transer shut. Gonta gave him the evil eye for some unknown reason. Subaru could feel the bad vibes from three seats down, and it was sending chills down his spine no matter how much he tried to ignore it.

"I did it!" Kizamaro suddenly squeaked, an unfortunate crack in his adolescent voice. He was hunched over his transer, eyes sparkling behind his glasses.

Luna immediately leaned the other boy's way, much to Subaru's relief, "Lemme see!"

"Three tickets to Misora-chan's concert next Friday!" he was breathless with excitement, "I can't believe I got them this late!"

"Way to go, Kiza!" Gonta yelled, slapping the nerdy boy on the back and drawing the attention of the other commuters on the waveliner.

Subaru was going to ignore them, he really was, but the 'what?' slipped out before he had a chance to catch it. All three of them turned flabbergasted faces on him like he had missed a dumb question like, 'what year is it?'

"Y-you," Luna was stuttering, which was uncommon for her, "You don't know about Hibiki Misora?"

Subaru shrugged, noncommittal.

"Subaru-kun, she's only like, the biggest pop idol of the century. She's a super cute," Luna sent Kizamaro a small glare at that, "really talented musician. Her concerts sell out so fast they're impossible to get into most of the time!"

"Congrats then." Subaru turned back to his transer, ignoring them. But they wouldn't let it go.

"So you haven't heard any of her music?" Luna asked.

"No."

"She acts too!" Kizamaro added, "You haven't seen her on TV at all?"

"No."

Gonta even added his two cents, "She's smoking hott. You sure you haven't seen her picture in a magazine somewhere."

"No." Subaru fought to keep his voice down.

"Have you been living under a rock, Hoshikawa-kun?" Luna smirked.

He didn't dignify that with an answer. Instead he said in a tone of false surprise, "Oh look, it's our stop." He got up without waiting for the others.

Truth be told, he didn't know much of went on in the real world; his head had been so full of the waveworld. It was a new frontier only he could see in person. He knew the name of every virus, had conversed with netnavis face-to-face, and had traveled around the globe a few times just for the heck of it. What's hot and what's not didn't interest him that much.

Luckily, the threesome seemed to have dropped the subject. He wove through the crowded station, not pleased to be sharing space with so many people. If these goons hadn't insisted on coming with him or if Warrock was back, he would have simply wave-changed and taken the waveroads to the hospital. They broke out onto the sidewalks, but they were irritatingly busy with foot-traffic as well.

_Let's just get this over with_. He set off at a quick pace; the hospital was only a few blocks away.

Luna stayed in stride with him, matching his step with annoying ease. Kizamaro, on the other hand, fell behind. Gonta stayed with him, picking the smaller boy up and carrying him by the scruff of his neck every time he went to slow. The poor nerd was breathing heavily when they arrived, but the beefy boy just patted him on the back good-naturedly.

"What room is Shinsuke Utagai-san in?" Subaru asked softly at the desk. The hospital was quiet, an atmosphere of calm that masked the pain behind the walls.

The nurse glanced up at him, analyzing the group of teenagers, "What is your relation to him?"

"A friend," Subaru answered, "And coworker."

"Room 1412. I'll lend you Naviman. The hospital can be a bit confusing for those who have never been here before." The nurse downloaded a netnavi onto Subaru's transer. A familiar figure dressed as a concierge, materialized on the screen. Subaru remembered Rockman had just had a conversation with him the other day. He'd stopped to talk with the navi about the types of power fluctuations might interfere with the hospital's energy grid. As much as Subaru wanted to explore, he didn't want to put anyone at risk.

"Oh! Subaru-san!" the little man exclaimed, helmeted head bobbing in a bow, "Nice to see you again."

Subaru wasn't sure how all the inhabitants of the waveworld knew he was a denpa-human, but they did. He assumed on such a vast network of information, sometimes they simply acted like a hive mind. Data sharing wasn't strange to the creatures of denpa.

Subaru felt a nervous smile tug at his lips, but the navi just winked knowingly at him.

"Where's your friend today? I don't see him around."

"He ditched me. Now about that room…" Subaru prompted the friendly program, setting things back on track.

"Oh yeah," Naviman sounded embarrassed, "Go ahead and start up this hallway. Shinsuke-san is staying in the standard care unit as his injuries weren't serious."

Subaru followed the instructions given him. He felt the curious stare of Shirogane-san on his back… again, but he wasn't going to humor her. Naviman bid them good day as they arrived at their destination.

"We'll wait out here," Luna said quietly. Subaru's confusion must have been written across his face because she explained, "We don't want to make him nervous and stress him out like last time. You go on ahead, Hoshikawa-kun, and let us know if he's okay for more company."

He nodded. It made sense after all; and even more so if you were aware of Utagai's mental state. Being possessed probably didn't help the scientist to rise out of depression.

Subaru knocked before entering. The smell of antiseptic greeted him, full force; the tasteless white walls of the small room glared with the midday sun.

"Hey," Subaru said nervously. The scientist's bed was propped up and he was awake when Subaru peeked around the privacy curtain. Only a single IV was attached under the long sleeves of his hospital gown. Utagai appeared significantly better than the last time Subaru had seen him: face smoothed by dreamless, drug-induced sleep, anti-depressants, and therapy.

"Subaru-san?" Utagai's voice was soft, but a tentative smile grew on his face, "It is! Amachi-san's apprentice right?"

"Not quite," Subaru said with amusement. He took the man's enthusiasm as a cue to come closer, "I came to check and see how you were doing."

Utagai nodded enthusiastically, "Yes! Amachi-san said you'd be over today!"

"Has Amachi come to see you?"

"No," Utagai's smile didn't waver though, "He's been very busy with the repairs at AMAKEN. Apparently, one of the drives blew up, so they've been trying to salvage the data from smaller storage devices and handwritten notes. Sounds like quite the task." He said the last part wistfully.

Subaru felt himself smile, the expression rusty, "It sounds like you're ready to get back to work."

The man nodded energetically, "My stay in the hospital has brought a few things to my attention. I…" he cut himself off, suddenly giving Subaru a wary glance.

Subaru put his hands up, as if in surrender, "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to Utagai-san."

A grateful smile returned to his face, "Sorry, Subaru-san." There was a moment's silence, "The doctor has been encouraging me not to instantly mistrust people. It's hard to break old habits."

Subaru shrugged, "I understand." And he did.

"I promise to show it to you as soon as I finish the prototype. How's that for a compromise?"

"Fair enough," Subaru hesitated, unsure of how to introduce the other teenagers, "Utagai, I brought you some company. Do you want to see them, too?"

A quizzical furrow formed on the man's brow, but he nodded all the same. Luna, Kizamaro, and Gonta practically fell over each other trying to get into the room. They gathered around the bed, crowding Subaru out.

"How are you feeling, Shinsuke-san?" Luna asked.

"I didn't know you'd been hurt!" Kizamaro exclaimed, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Way to go!" Gonta was firmly patting the thin man on the back, "You fought off those aliens!"

"Gonta-kun!" Kizamaro drooped, "Nothing like that happened!"

Though Utagai appeared slightly overwhelmed and a little bit nervous, he smiled at the three. "You're Subaru-san's friends, right?"

Subaru coughed into a fist, choking back the denial that attempted to get past his throat; but Luna nodded enthusiastically, "Sure we are!"

Utagai smiled again, "I'll have to show you what I'm working on too! You three can help me test out its functions when it's finished!"

"Seriously?!" Gonta yelled.

"Sure!"

"That's so cool!" Kizamaro said dreamily, "Working in a lab and making discoveries!"

Subaru bowed his head into his hand. God help him. He tried doing one nice thing, and look where it got him. _I'm never leaving my room after this._

"Subaru-san?" Utagai asked, when the others had quieted down, "Were you there during the attack?"

Subaru hesitated, hating the fact that he had to lie so blatantly, "No. Why?"

The man frowned, as if this confused him, "I could have sworn you were. I passed out before most of the mayhem began, but I thought I heard your voice. You told me I would be happy at AMAKEN labs."

Uncomfortable did not begin to describe the way Subaru felt right now. He wanted to faze through the floor and walk straight out of the hospital. He _had _said that, but he didn't expect Utagai to remember. Luna's group and the researcher were looking at him expectantly. If he denied it now, it would probably make the man upset.

He settled for not saying anything at all, digging his hands deeper in the pockets of his shorts.

Surprisingly, it was Luna who came to his rescue, "Shinsuke-san, can I ask you what happened? How did you get injured?"

Utagai tossed one more – thoughtful – glance at Subaru before facing the girl, "I was in my lab hiding after running into you guys. I don't even remember why I was so upset. But suddenly, I felt really cold and empty inside," he shivered, "Then something else filled the void, but it wasn't just cold, it felt like ice. I only recall one thing very clearly before it all goes black."

The threesome leaned forward; even Subaru was listening closely to the account. He had no idea what EM possession felt like when he wasn't the one in control.

"What was it?" Kizamaro whispered.

"Denpa-henkan." Utagai answered, hand on his chin in thought, "But I have no idea what it could mean. Besides getting the impression that Subaru-san was there, the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital. They haven't told me directly, but I know I'm here for psychiatric attention." He smiled, "You don't tell people you feelings while lying on a couch and not think you're seeing a shrink."

Subaru grinned at that. Unbalanced or not, a scientist was a scientist: Utagai wasn't stupid.

"When will you be released?" Subaru asked.

"Amachi-san will be coming by to pick me up tomorrow." But Utagai started to pout, "He won't let me go back to work until Monday."

"You need your rest, Shinsuke-san." Luna said placating.

"Agreed," a new voice sounded from behind them, making them all spin around in surprise. A nurse was standing behind them, holding a clipboard and a plastic cup, "You have mandatory bed rest for three days, Shinsuke-san. I've informed your boss of this. He will obey or incur my wrath."

Utagai looked sheepish.

Subaru cleared his throat, "Ah, we'll see you later, Utagai-san. Oh, I almost forgot!" he pulled a bar of chocolate from his backpack, setting it on the bed table, "Amachi said white chocolate was your favorite."

When Utagai regarded it doubtfully, Subaru laughed, picking it up again, "There's no need to be so nervous. See?" He opened the candy, breaking off a square and ignoring Luna's outraged 'don't eat his gift in front of him!' He popped the square in his mouth, chewing and swallowing for the man to see. "It's safe. I promise!"

Carefully, Utagai accepted the candy from Subaru, "Thank you, Subaru-san."

"No problem." He said with a wave, escorting the others out so the nurse could do her job, "Just promise me you'll get better soon."

Utagai smiled, the action becoming a habit for him, "I promise!"

* * *

><p>Shirogane Luna:<p>

"That's a lot of happy pills." Kizamaro said matter-of-factly as they walked home. Shortly after leaving the hospital, Subaru had claimed he had something to do and had run off. Luna had let him go without a fight; she had a lot to think about.

"Yes," she agreed, "It certainly is quite the turnabout since the last time we saw him."

"But I'm happy for him."

Luna nodded, despite the weirdness that permeated the man's recovery.

"That skipper is up to something funny." Gonta grumbled, meaning Subaru.

Luna gave him a sideways glance, "I thought he did wonderful. He was friendly and talkative and I think he might've laughed once too."

"That's not what I mean!" Gonta growled, his giant fists clenched at his sides.

"I agree with Gonta-kun, Prez." Kizamaro pushed his glasses up his nose, "My observations prove inconclusive as to what it might be, but Subaru-kun is hiding something."

_You don't know me, so I don't think you can be an accurate judge of my behavior_. Luna clearly remembered Subaru throwing that in her face.

_But how can I get to know you if you won't let anybody in?!_ Luna wished she had told him that when she had the chance. Now, her only option was to get to know Subaru by the bits and pieces that slipped through his indifferent mask.

"What were your… observations, Kizamaro."

The nerd pushed his glasses up his nose before beginning. He held up a finger with every new point he made, "First, is the netnavi. The nurse lent us Naviman because none of us had ever been to that hospital before; but the concierge clearly knew Subaru-kun quite well. Second is his mysterious 'friend.' I didn't think Subaru-kun had many – if any – friends, but Naviman knew of someone specific and Subaru-kun confirmed it. Third, is his attitude towards Utagai-san; it was extremely out of character. Fourth, is Utagai-san's testimony of Subaru-kun's presence during the attack; even if it was a bit shaky, it should be taken into consideration. Fifth and finally, is denpa-henkan. 'Wave change'; that sort of thing is right up Subaru-kun's alley, yet he asked nothing about it."

"Maybe he didn't want to upset Utagai-san." Luna guessed.

Kizamaro shook his head, "I was watching him. He didn't even look curious, more like Utagai-san had confirmed something. That, among the other things I mentioned, are inconsistencies I don't understand."

Gonta was looking uncomfortable, but he added his thoughts anyway: "Something about him just doesn't feel right…" he mumbled.

"Care to explain, Gonta." Luna said coldly. She was growing jaded with Gonta's attitude. Subaru hadn't done anything serious enough to make Gonta hate him. If Subaru was going to join their group of friends, then Gonta needed to get over himself.

Suddenly Gonta wheeled on her, "Why are you defending him like that?!" he spat, flames in his black eyes. Luna actually took a step back as Gonta got in her face, "What do you see in that pretty-boy anyway? He's constantly rude to you, Prez! He doesn't care about school. He doesn't care about people. He doesn't care about anything! AND YOU KEEP TRYING EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT WORTH IT!"

Gonta ran out of words, simply blowing steam. He stepped back and ran a hand through his messy hair, "I'm going home." He quietly turned away without another word.

Luna felt tears prickle in her eyes, but she blinked them back. She'd been friends with both boys for nearly two years, and never once had they had a fight. His words stung, but they weren't completely true. Gonta didn't see what she saw in Subaru.

Kizamaro stayed with Luna, walking her home. When they arrived at the front gate, he turned inquisitive eyes on her, "I'm not angry like Gonta, but he does have a point. Why are you trying so hard to befriend Subaru-kun, Prez."

She debated telling him, but she wasn't sure how to squeeze the words through her aching throat, "I think you can figure it out, Kizamaro."

He nodded, understanding without really comprehending. He waved goodbye and walked home. _I hope tomorrow turns out to be a better day,_ Luna thought, _but I better not jinx it._

Subaru showed up for school the next day as well, much to Luna's delight. But her mood was still somber from her argument with Gonta the previous day. Said boy had nothing better to do than throw dirty looks at Subaru all through the morning classes. When lunch came around and Luna insisted on sitting with the social outcast, Gonta sat as far away as possible while still being at the same table.

Gym class proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

* * *

><p>Hoshikawa Subaru:<p>

Subaru wasn't one to bow to intimidation, but the glares that Ushijima Gonta had been sending him all morning were making him increasingly uncomfortable. It was like an itch under his skin that he couldn't reach. And Warrock's confession from the day before wasn't putting him any more at ease.

"Where did you go for so long?" Subaru had asked him. The FMian hadn't returned to his transer till after supper.

"Investigating some things," Rock had muttered edgily, "I sensed at least two other FMians within earth's atmosphere. It's only a matter of time before they find hosts."

Subaru tapped his pencil on his desk, thinking. He didn't like battling that much. In the waveworld he tried to avoid fights with viruses unless he _felt _like blowing off steam. Mankind wasn't ready for an invasion from planet FM, even without Rockman giving them a handicap.

But FMians were another matter. They were too powerful and adaptable for normal anti-corruption equipment. Like Rockman, they could control their wave state. They were intelligent and aggressive. They had a purpose and a goal. As melodramatic as it sounded, he was earth's only hope when it came to fending them off.

He was twirling his pencil unconsciously as a bell rang, the sound startling him enough to lose his tempo and drop it. Reaching down, a blonde head interrupted his field of vision. Lady Luna-san was there, picking up the fallen utensil and handing it to him with one of her smiles that could sell toothpaste.

"Time for gym class, Hoshikawa-kun."

Subaru could feel Gonta's eyes searing the back of his neck, but without much of a choice, he accepted the pencil. She waited while he gathered his stuff, she walked with him down the hall, the _tried _to talk to him…

"Just why are you doing all this?" he asked from behind his locker door as she – once again – waited for him to collect his stuff. He slammed the locker shut, "You already have me here! Why do you insist on orbiting around me like a satellite?!"

There was honest hurt in her olive-green eyes, but her voice was steady, "Isn't it obvious, Hoshikawa-kun? I want you to be friends with us!"

People passing by were staring. The recluse and the refined, practically nose to nose as they stared each other down.

"I just want to be left alone." He hissed.

"I am aware of that." her sage gaze growing intense, "But I don't want to see you in a hospital, doped up on anti-depressants like Shinsuke-san, because you can't make friends!"

"I am fully capable of making friends on my own."

"Are not."

"I don't want friends like you." Subaru snapped, spun on his heel, and walked away.

It was cruel. He had seen the pain in her eyes. Maybe it was over the top. But maybe it was enough to get her to leave him alone. That prickling feeling on the back of his neck intensified. He glanced over his shoulder.

Ushijima Gonta had seen the whole thing.

* * *

><p>Dodge ball.<p>

Whose great idea was it to give a bunch of teenagers with hormones and grudges red, rubber balls? And whose great idea was it to tell them to throw said balls at each other as hard as they could? And whose idea was it to call the whole thing a game? Subaru would like to know so he could have a sit down talk with them about ethics and common sense.

It certainly put the whole school in perspective.

Most of the girls stood back on their half of the field so the balls had a chance to lose momentum. All the nerds were sitting on the sidelines, already out. And the testosterone-driven guys were right up at the line, laughing and beaning each other in the head like a bunch of idiots.

Subaru sighed at the immaturity of it all. He was still in the game, hanging out somewhere near the middle. He was sure he would have been out by now, but wave battling had honed his dodging skills, so he hadn't been fortunate enough to get hit.

Gonta had finagled himself onto the other team so he could take potshots at the new kid. And though Subaru would rather be sitting, the muscular boy was making hard and fast throws. The balls whistled by Subaru's head as they passed. Needless to say, he did not want to get hit by one of those.

"Stand still, runt!" Gonta yelled across the field.

Subaru shrugged, as if to say: _you can't hit me, too bad_. Unsurprisingly, it only served to make the other boy even angrier.

Warrock, on the other hand, was having a blast. No one could hear him above the noise of the game as he commented on the 'skill' displayed by various students.

"That was a close one, kid. Good dodge!"

"Thanks."

"Did you see that guy over there? Hit in the face! I think there's blood coming out his nose. That big, brawny kid has good accuracy."

"You don't need to sound so excited." Subaru muttered dryly.

"Yesss, our team is up by five players! Keep it up, kid!"

"I'm not even throwing anything!"

"Exactly! Once you take part, we shall be triumphant!"

"Rock," Subaru whined, "it's not like that."

"Yes it is!" Warrock corrected. A ball rolled up to Subaru's toes, "Oooo! There's one right there!"

Subaru's transer arm yanked him down in the same moment a ball went whizzing over his head. He looked up to see Gonta, yet again, stomping his feet in frustration.

"What is your deal?!" Subaru asked, loud enough to be heard over the other students.

"You insulted Prez in front of the whole school. You're gonna pay for that, runt." He picked up another ball, slapping it like he wished it was Subaru's head.

"I didn't insult her." Subaru shot back, "I just told the truth."

A shimmering, heat-like aura surrounded the beefy teenager, "I'll kill you for that!"

Subaru glanced around nervously to see if the teacher was paying attention. He wasn't.

Warrock cleared his throat, "Kid, you might want to apologize for that…"

"The heck, Warrock, you never back down from a fight!" Subaru hissed.

"I'LL KILL YOU, RUNT!" Gonta screamed, his voice becoming inhuman.

"Oh #$%&," Warrock mumbled.

Subaru made a note to berate Warrock for the expletive later. As for now, he didn't have the time. Gonta was growing in front of his eyes; red, yellow, and orange armor materializing from thin air and clamping to his body like they were magnetically attracted. It took Subaru a minute to recognize denpa-henkan, as he'd never actually seen it before.

Within seconds, a fifteen foot, ox-like creature had taken the place of his Kodoma-high classmate. Ivory horns stretched three feet from either side of its head, a muzzle that looked like a car's exhaust pipe protruded below tiny, black eyes. It looked like a minotaur from legends, with giant hands and bull-like hooves.

"Um…" Subary stuttered.

Students and teachers suddenly started screaming, deciding that _now _was a good time to run. In ten seconds flat, only two remained. But the beast only had eyes for Subaru.

Kizamaro snuck up to Subaru's left side; Luna grabbed hold of Subaru's right sleeve.

"Is that…?" she couldn't even form the question.

"I AM TAURUS, CAPTAIN OF HIS HIGHNESS KING CEPHEUS'S OFFENSIVE FORCES!" the creature roared so loud it shook the ground.

"Ushijima Gonta." Subaru correctly answered Luna's unasked question.

"PUNY HUMAN, YOU ARE INCORRECT! THIS VESSEL SHALL BELONG TO ME FROM NOW ON! THIS PLANET HAS NO NEED OF USHI-MAMA GERTA! TAURUS IS HERE!"

Luna and Kizamaro both squeaked in fear. Subaru grit his teeth, thinking fast. He needed to get these two out of here; out of harm's way. But his brain was shifting into battle mode; brilliant diversions were escaping him. Taurus turned his attention back to Subaru.

"MY HOST ONLY REQUESTS YOUR DESTRUCTION. IT IS ONE WISH I SHALL FULFILL, FOR IT WAS THAT HATE AND ANGER THAT BID ME TAKE CONTROLL. I PROMISE I MAKE HIM STRONGER, AND I HAVE!" the hot wind from Taurus's snout blew Subaru back a step.

"You guys might want to get out of here." Subaru informed, "He's after me. I'll distract him."

"We can't leave you here!" Luna gipped his sleeve harder.

"Just go!" Subaru snapped, wrenching his arm from her grasp. Kizamaro had the sense to pull her along as he fled.

If the FMian had the features to make such a face, Subaru was sure the creature would be smirking, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO AGAINST ME, LITTLE HUMAN?"

"Run." Subaru said, matter-of-fact, sprinting past the beast and taking him by surprise. The time it took Taurus to turn around gave him a few second's head start. But it wasn't long before he could hear the monster bearing down on him.

"Dodge, kid." Subaru threw himself to the side on Rock's command, rolling with the momentum and bouncing back up into a sprint. Only a few feet away, he slid to a stop behind the school dumpster, wasting no time in commanding 'Warrock, Denpa-henkan!'

The now familiar energy of Rock's z-waves encased him, infusing his muscles and encasing his body. Though reluctant to say it aloud, he felt safer this way. He could defend himself and he could be invisible – his two favorite things. Vision through his red visor was crystalline clear. His left hand was already charging a shot on his blaster. His wavelength was shifted to match his opponent's.

All set. He dashed forward, becoming a beam of light for a billionth of a second.

Taurus was shaking cement from the school wall off his head, but the collision with the building hadn't fazed him. "What is this guy made of?" Subaru gawked.

"All brawn, little to no brain." Warrock answered. Subaru knew he wasn't sugarcoating it.

"How am I supposed to fight this guy? He's huge," he gestured to Tauraus, then himself, "I'm tiny!"

"LIKE A BUG!" Taurus screamed.

"Yes, 'like a bug.' How the he…" Subaru was cut off as he jumped out of the way when Taurus attempted to squash him under-hoof.

"Figure it out, kid."

"You know more about him than I. Give me some stats, data, anything!"

"WARROCK, IS THAT YOU?!"

"Yes, dimwit, it took you this long to figure it out?" Subaru could hear Warrock rolling his eyes.

"YOUR VESSEL IS MICROSCOPIC!" the FMian roared, "YOU SHALL FIND ANOTHER. THIS IS NOT A SUITABLE CHALLENGE FOR THE MAGNIFICENT TAURUS!"

"If you need more motivation than that," Warrock said with a chuckle, "then there is something seriously wrong with you."

Subaru glared at the giant ox, but spoke to Warrock, "Give me something on him."

"Outrageous offensive and defensive ability. Limitless energy, being a denpa creature, so you can't wear him out. Both fast and strong… I don't know kid. There aren't many weaknesses for you to exploit besides his stupidity, but even that doesn't seem like much of a crutch when he's like this."

"I'll figure something out… eventually." Subaru whispered.

"STOP THE NOISEMAKING! I HAVE DECIDED TO CRUSH YOU, DESPITE YOUR DESPICABLE HOST! THE VERY SIGHT OF IT ANNOYS ME!"

"Getting real sick of all you boasting," Subaru shouted, "Come over here and show me you can back it up!"

"VERY WELL!"

Taurus pawed the ground and shot forward not a moment later. Subaru tensed, jumping to the side last second like he was in a bull fight. He released the shot he'd saved at Taurus's retreating back, but the bolt buzzed harmlessly across his armor. The beast didn't show a flicker of pain.

"Backside is armored just as well as the front." Subaru informed Warrock in the moment before Taurus stated charging his way once more.

Subaru attempted to dodge horizontally again, but Taurus – despite his thick skull – could learn even the simplest of tricks. As he passed by, he threw his head out to the side, clipping Subaru in the side with his wide horns.

The glancing blow sent Subaru stumbling backwards, hands pressed to his side. Data streamed freely from the 'wound,' and though Subaru knew it would heal within minutes, the sickening sensation raced across his abdomen.

Wincing, he stood upright, loading a variety of weapon cards to test their effectiveness, "This is going to be messy." He huffed, "Trial and error is not proven to be an effective method."

Taurus was turning to face him, once again shaking the school's brickwork from his head.

"I know, kid," and Warrock, for once, sounded grave, "Just give it the best you've got."

The charge was unsurprising, but disproportionate speed still amazed him. Taurus barreled towards him, and this time Subaru jumped up, pushing off Taurus's head with his second step. Flipped upside down, he aimed his cannon at the small of the monster's neck and fired.

This time, Taurus slowed and stopped. Subaru used the chance to sprint back to his enemy, dropping to slide beneath its legs in an attempt to catch him off guard. The cow, however, snatched him up, giant hand squeezing Subaru tight.

It felt like his muscles were melting, the metal of Taurus's armor was radiating heat like a furnace. The steel fingers like a vice, constricted, staining his vision black.

_It's too early to go down! _Subaru wriggled with all his strength, by some miracle managing to slip an arm through Taurus's grip. The next card was already loaded in his hand. He shoved the power bomb up the cow's muzzle.

The resulting explosion damaged both parties. Taurus only stumbled back a step; but Subaru flew through the air, managing to orient himself to land on his feet. One knee buckled out from underneath him, his breathing heavy.

"Let's not do that again, Rock."

"Preferably not."

A gurgling sound was coming from Taurus, but as Subaru steadied both feet below him, he realized it was the minotaur's version of a laugh.

"FIRE? YOU TRY TO HURT ME WITH FIRE!? I WILL SHOW YOU FLAMES! I WILL SHOW YOU WHY THEY CALL ME GENERAL TAURUS OF FIRE!"

A jet of liquid flames shot from the FMian's snout, like napalm, billowing out and crisping the sport's field in milliseconds.

Subaru summoned a brief EM shield to guard against the blast, biding his time. Taurus would need a brief time to recover after that attack, given the wide range. Subaru's next idea was based on stories of European battles he had learned about doing history homework last week: Victorious soldiers in a battle would oftentimes lame the enemies' horses by severing the Achilles tendon. He'd noticed the back of Taurus's lower legs were similarly unguarded.

His transer chimed, a tidal-edge sword, shifting into place. He zipped forward, shifting his frequency just enough to protect against further attacks. Curving around, he felt his blade connect with the sturdy makeup of the giant FMian. Success!

But as Taurus roared in pain, he swung an arm around so fast Subaru didn't have time to react. This time _he _was the one slammed into the side of the school, and he didn't have the same level of durability as the ET minotaur. It hurt! His head throbbed and stars danced before his eyes. Despite the hit he had gained on the cow, he's sustained just as much damage.

"This isn't working," He croaked to Warrock as he slid to the ground.

"But that was effective, Subaru. You just need to anticipate his moves a bit better."

_I must be hearing things_, Subaru wondered to himself, _cause Rock just sounded _encouraging!

The bull pawed the ground again, preparing to charge. Subaru thought fast. _Ground Wave! _He summoned the card, slamming a hand down on the ground with all his might.

A white wall of energy rushed up to Taurus, washing over him. Molecular vibrations rippled along his heated armor, interfering with frequencies and jamming energy signals. It wasn't fun, Subaru could speak from experience, and it was enough to slow down the juggernaut for now.

Subaru got to his feet, feeling suddenly focused. He had an idea, but he need to keep it together long enough to pull it off. Too bad his limbs were still shaking. The more injuries he sustained, the more it forced Warrock and him apart.

"You hanging in there, Rock?"

"For now." But the words came out strained, "Try not to get hit again and we'll see just how well I'm doing."

Subaru sidestepped, checking over his shoulder to make sure he was in the right place before yelling, "Taurus! You haven't squashed me yet! What's taking you so long?"

"I AM SAVORING IT!"

Predictably, the ox-brain charged again. Subaru rolled to the side like he had initially, and when Taurus tried to nick him, he changed state.

Taurus breezed past, crunching an electric line like a toothpick. The post toppled, crashing to the ground beside the beast. Adjusting back to match, Subaru sidestepped, launching a wide wave attack from his blaster.

Steam hissed as the water drenched the fiery FMian. Subaru followed up without hesitation, loading and firing a 'thunder shot' in the blink of an eye.

Electricity arced between the supercharged alien and the severed power lines, and Taurus screamed as it scrambled his functions and sucked his energy dry. When the light show flickered out, Taurus fell, movements rigid with shock.

Subaru pounced on the minotaur's chest, ignoring the way residual currents raced up his legs. A sword materialized on his right arm, and he drew it back before savagely shoving it under Taurus's breastplate. It sunk up to half the blade yet Subaru pressed harder, ignoring the beast's grunts of pain.

"I'll put you out of your misery." He whispered, sweat beading down his face at this close proximity to the superheated FMian.

"You…" Taurus wasn't done yet. He reached up, trying to pull Subaru off him, "DIE!"

"Kid!" Rock warned, but Subaru didn't need it. He could feel the rending feeling tingling down his limbs. It was similar to having them fall asleep; like hot and cold at the same time.

_No,_ Subaru thought desperately, _not now! I'm almost there._

But Taurus was growing stronger, crushing Subaru's chest in that vice-like grip. He needed a miracle.

And like he asked, one came:

"Ushijima Gonta!" a shrill, fear-filled voice pierced the air, "Would you get your head back on straight and QUIT SQUEEZING MY ROCKMAN-SAMA! That's my job, you bonehead!"

Luna was standing among the smoking grass of the school yard, hands on her hips and fire in her eyes. Kizamaro was there too, looking slightly less audacious.

"Prez?" it wasn't Taurus's voice.

The menace paused as Gonta broke through. Subaru took the opening provided, throwing the last of his might behind the sword and driving it all the way through.

Taurus's body burst into flaming orange. It seeped off Genta's sleeping form, assembling itself into the silhouette of the FMian's true shape.

"You win." Taurus's voice rumbled, sounding satisfied.

Subaru didn't feel quite as well off, "And what does that mean?" he asked between pants. Warrock and he were barely holding together now.

"I submit to you as a superior in battle. As long as you are the strongest, I will not oppose you."

"So you won't bother earth again?" Subaru asked, doubtful.

The FMian folded his flaming arms, "Only if you defeat my master. Until then, I will wait for the outcome." In a flash of neon, the alien shot into the air. Taurus left earth.

Luna and Kizamaro were knelt on either side of their compatriot, attempting to wake him up. For once, they weren't paying Rockman any attention.

"What was that all about, Rock?" Subaru muttered quietly.

"Taurus is a fool, but an honorable one. He won't come back unless you lose to Cepheus. But he's even more stupid to think that the FM King is the only one stronger than him."

"I don't want to hear about it today."

"I bet." Warrock said with a chuckle, "But you did good, kid."

Genta was coming round, being bombarded with questions by his friends. Subaru felt satisfied, not only because the threat was now gone, but because he'd managed to keep these guys safe. He didn't know what it was, but he felt he was another step closer to… nevermind. The warm fuzzies were making him illogical. Rock said he did well; and he had.

"Thanks, Rock." And with that, he flashed away. Denpa-henkan wouldn't hold on much longer.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This is a shorter chapter, but that fight took a lot out of me. It felt like Subaru's first real challenge in this reboot. My little brother complained that the last fight didn't have enough action to it - I hope this is satisfactory. For some reason though, when writing Taurus's line, all I could see was Major Armstrong flexing his muscles at me... don't know it anybody else got that impression :) I really want to put a lot of effort into developing characters, so I don't think there will be intense battles every chapter (general wave-battling will just happen between the lines). Let me know what you think!<strong>


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